No Easy Way Out
by asha-21
Summary: Theresa finds herself choosing between two loves: the honorable Ethan and the charming Fox. Although she loves them both, only one truly holds the key to her heart. Will she make the right decision? Read to find out. Plz R&R THEROXTHERETHAN
1. Default Chapter

~No Easy Way Out~  
  
Summary: Theresa finds herself choosing between two loves: the honorable Ethan and the charming Fox. Although she loves them both, only one truly holds the key to her heart. Will she make the right decision? Read to find out.  
  
A/N:  
  
Hey guys, I'm still writing Mother's Intuition, so please continue to give reviews for that one. But me and my friend Amanda decided to write another story. This one's going to be a none other than THEROX/THERETHAN fic. We've made a few changes. They are as follows:  
  
-It's been about a week since Fox came to Harmony  
  
-Theresa has slept with Julian but did not conceive a child, so Little Ethan does not exist.  
  
-Gwen and Ethan are not together  
  
-Gwen and Theresa are close friends  
  
-Theresa is presently still in love with Ethan  
  
-Rebecca is in jail for illegal business.  
  
The rest of the changes will go along as the story continues.  
  
We hope you enjoy the story!! Please, please review!!  
  
~*~* 


	2. New Expectations

CH 1- New Expectations  
  
Fox Crane stepped out of the private jet and stretched.  
  
"With all the money that we have, you'd think Father would get more comfortable chairs in this plane." He mumbled to himself, rubbing the back of his neck.  
  
He picked up his bags and made his way to the black limousine a few feet away.  
  
"Good afternoon Mr. Crane how was your trip?" The chauffeur asked, opening the door.  
  
"Richard my man, how many times do I have to tell you? Call me Fox. 'Mr. Crane' sounds too much like my grandfather and believe me he's probably the last person I'd want to be named after."  
  
"As you wish Mr. Cr—I mean Fox." He nodded.  
  
Fox patted him on his back and slid into the back seat.  
  
He gazed out the window as the limousine sped down the road.  
  
This was going to be his first time in a long time going back to Harmony. He wasn't sure what to expect, but he was looking forward to his stay there. Although he wasn't particularly fond of some members of his family, he had a good feeling about his destination.  
  
"Who knows Fox, maybe you'll find a hot girlfriend." He chuckled to himself.  
  
He leaned his head back and closed his eyes, feeling the cool breeze on his face.  
  
Secretly he was actually hoping to find someone. Most of his adult life he had always been sort of the 'ladies man'. But this time he wanted to find someone special; someone who would listen to him, and love him for who he was and not for how much money he had. If there were such a girl in Harmony he would have to find her, and once he did he would never let her go.  
  
He opened back his eyes and barely saw the wooded sign as the limousine whizzed by.  
  
'Welcome To Harmony' it read.  
  
~*~*~*~*  
  
"Whit, what am I going to do?" Theresa Lopez-Fitzgerald sighed into the phone, as she threw herself down on her bed.  
  
"Theresa, how many times do we have to go through this?" Whitney Russell asked her best friend. "Ethan is a very honorable man, and he strongly feels that without trust there's no point to a relationship."  
  
"Yeah I know that. But Gwen confessed to both Ethan and I, that it was her and Rebecca who sent the email to the tabloid about who his real father was. So I didn't really lie to Ethan."  
  
"But honey you're forgetting something." Whitney took a deep breath and spoke seriously in the receiver. "You knew all along that Sam Bennett was really Ethan's father and you never told him. That's why Ethan feels like he can't trust you."  
  
Theresa held the phone numbly in her hands. She knew Whitney was right. There were so many times when she had the chance to tell Ethan the truth and didn't. When the truth finally did come out, he was furious with her. Even after Gwen confessed that she and her mother were behind it all, he still told her that they could never be together. He needed to completely trust her and right now he didn't.  
  
Theresa glanced over at a picture of Ethan on her night table.  
  
"Oh Ethan," she whispered.  
  
"Theresa honey, are you still there?"  
  
Whitney's voice brought her back to reality.  
  
"Yeah Whit I'm still here. I just can't believe that Ethan doesn't trust me anymore. I love him so much." She let out a heavy sigh.  
  
"I know you do Theresa, and Ethan knows that too. It's just that sometimes it's not enough. When Ethan found out that he was no longer a Crane, it really hit him hard."  
  
"That's it Whitney!" Theresa quickly sat up.  
  
"What's it? Theresa what are you talking about?"  
  
Whitney didn't like the sound her friend's voice. Whenever she talked in that tone, it usually meant she was thinking about doing something stupid.  
  
"It's what you just said, about me telling Ethan that I love him not being enough. I need to show him how much I love him. Then he will know that he can trust me and I'll get him back." She spat out, unable to control her happiness.  
  
"No Theresa, that is a bad idea. Showing Ethan how much you love him is exactly what got you into the mess that you are in right now." Whitney reminded her. "In attempts to show Ethan how much you love him, you went down to Bermuda to try and get Julian to adopt Ethan back into the Crane family. And what ended up happening?"  
  
Theresa closed her eyes, knowing exactly where her best friend was going with this.  
  
"That's right honey. Julian got you drunk and you too slept together. It's a good thing that you didn't get pregnant, because if you did I don't know what your life would be like now."  
  
Theresa sat in silence as she reluctantly remembered the night when she woke up in bed with Julian Crane. It was horrible. All she wanted to do was help Ethan and she ended up making things even worst.  
  
"Honey, look I know that you didn't mean to cause any more trouble, but the fact is you slept with a man whom Ethan has always believed to be his father. And even though your motives were right, the truth is you probably caused Ethan even more pain."  
  
Whitney hated to make her friend feel miserable, but sometimes Theresa needed a reminder in order to stop her from making even bigger mistakes.  
  
"Believe me Whit, I understand what you're saying. But that's exactly why I have to at least talk to Ethan. I need to show him that I didn't mean to cause him so much heartache. I need him to see how much I love him, and most of all I need him to trust me again."  
  
Theresa rose from her bed and walked over to her window.  
  
"Alright, so what are you going to do?" Whitney hesitantly asked.  
  
"Don't worry Whit." Theresa laughed at her friend's concern. "I'm just going to go over to the Crane mansion and talk to him. Once he hears what I have to say, there's no way that he can still be upset with me. I will finally get Ethan back." She smiled. 


	3. Hello Harmony!

CH. 2- Hello Harmony  
  
Fox looked up at the enormous building, as the limousine pulled into the driveway of the Crane Mansion.  
  
"Home sweet home," he unenthusiastically said to himself.  
  
He may have been happy to live in Harmony, but there was nothing exciting about seeing his family.  
  
The Cranes definitely were not the most liked family in Harmony, and with good reason. They were known for ruining people's lives and bringing destruction to anyone who got in their way. Sometimes Fox was embarrassed to even have the last name.  
  
He got out of the limousine and carried his bags to the front door, turning the knob.  
  
"Hello family, I'm home!" He called closing the door behind him.  
  
"Hello Mr. Crane." One of the maids greeted him as she came down the stairs. "Your father and mother are at a business luncheon, so you won't find them around the house."  
  
"Hmmm. Well no surprise there." Fox mumbled.  
  
"I can take your bags for you." She smiled picking up his luggage from the ground.  
  
"Thanks Phyllis." He grinned kissing her on the cheek. "At least I know someone loves me."  
  
"Mr. Cr—" she began.  
  
"Uh-uh," Fox gave her warning look.  
  
"Fox," she corrected herself. "You're such a sweetheart. If only the rest of the Cranes were as charming as you."  
  
"Sorry to disappoint you Phyllis, but I may be the only one left." He winked at her.  
  
"You just might be right. Anyways, you won't be completely lonely. I think Ethan is upstairs." She called over her shoulder, as she turned the corner. "I'm sure he'll be glad to see you."  
  
"Oh yes Phyllis, because me and Ethan are such good friends." He sarcastically stated, climbing up the stairs.  
  
He turned the corner and peeked into what used to be Ethan's room. Now, except for some old boxes, the room was completely deserted.  
  
"Ethan?" Fox called down the hall. "It's your most favourite person in the world!"  
  
He smiled knowing that wherever Ethan was, he had cringed at that statement.  
  
"Yeah, I'm in here!" Ethan called from behind the door to the library.  
  
Fox poked his head in and saw his half-brother busy typing away at his computer.  
  
Ethan looked up from the screen and smirked at the familiar face at the door.  
  
"Fox, I should have known it was you." He said impassively.  
  
"Whoa Ethan! Not so much love, you may knock me over!" Fox cynically responded.  
  
"Forgive me. It's just that things haven't been the easiest around here with everything that's happened. So I'm not exactly in the best mood." Ethan took a moment to rub his eyes before turning back to the contents on his computer."  
  
"Yeah I can imagine. I bet finding out you weren't really a Crane hit you pretty hard."  
  
Fox leaned back in his chair and stared at Ethan.  
  
"You know, everyone thinks that that was probably the worst part of it all. But what kills me the most is how long it went on for and nobody told me a single thing. Even the one person that I thought I could trust with everything, kept it a secret from me."  
  
"But didn't you tell me that Gwen confessed to helping Rebecca send the email to the tabloid?"  
  
"Yeah, so?" Ethan looked up at Fox.  
  
"Well then how could you still be angry with that Theresa girl you told me about?"  
  
"Fox, don't take this personally but I don't really expect you to understand my motives, since you've never really found that special someone."  
  
Fox tried hard to hide the effect that Ethan's words had on him, as he shifted in his chair.  
  
"But in my opinion, without trust there's no point to a relationship. I admit I care for Theresa a great deal but I just can't see her and I continuing our relationship if I don't trust her."  
  
"Wow, you're an honorable man Ethan. But if you care for this girl as much as you say you do, don't you think you should give her another chance?" Fox asked him.  
  
"Believe me, I would. But Theresa has just done too many things that prove I can't trust her. Like for example, did I tell you want she did recently?"  
  
"No, what?"  
  
"Theresa felt horrible for keeping my paternity a secret, evidently leading to my withdrawal as a Crane child. So she decided to go to Bermuda in attempts to talk to Julian about adopting me back into the family. The thing is, Julian took advantage of Theresa, got her drunk and they slept together." Ethan let out a deep sigh and closed his eyes.  
  
"Ouch," Fox bit his bottom lip. "But Ethan, Julian's the bad guy here. Theresa was just trying to help you out and he took advantage of her."  
  
"I know Fox, and trust me I am furious with him for that. But here's the thing. Why couldn't Theresa just come to me with her concerns? If she had told me about her plan to go to Bermuda, I would have told her not to go because I wouldn't have wanted to be adopted back into the family. Whatever happened happened for a reason and therefore we just have to accept it. But no, Theresa chose to go behind my back and take matters into her own hands, which again proves that I cannot trust her."  
  
"I see your point Ethan. But I don't know, I still think you should give her another chance." Fox suggested.  
  
"Thanks Fox, but I think I'm going to handle this one on my own."  
  
"Suit yourself."  
  
Suddenly there was a knock at the door.  
  
"Come in" Ethan called, as the person walked in.  
  
Fox couldn't see who it was, since his back was turned. But by the expression on Ethan's face, he knew it had to be someone important.  
  
"Ethan?" The soft feminine voice asked. "One of the maids said that you might be up here. Is it alright if I talk to you for a moment?"  
  
Fox turned around and glanced at the door.  
  
There stood the most beautiful woman that he had ever seen. He let his eyes wander up her tanned slender legs. She wore a sleeveless yellow sundress and her hair hung in loose curls off her shoulders.  
  
My God she's gorgeous, Fox thought to himself, an immediate smile appearing on his face.  
  
Harmony just got a lot more interesting, he grinned not taking his eyes off the beautiful woman that stood before him. 


	4. Love At First Sight

CH 3- Love At First Sight  
  
Fox had to close his mouth to stop it from dropping open.  
  
He still couldn't believe how beautiful she was; her chocolate-brown eyes, her sweet smile, the way her dress clung to her in all the right places. She was breath taking!  
  
Fox didn't wait for Ethan to respond. He immediately jumped out of his seat and stood in front of her, taking her hand in his.  
  
"Now what would a beautiful woman like yourself want with my boring half- brother?" He smiled staring into her eyes.  
  
"Excuse me?" She giggled bashfully. "Do I know you?"  
  
"Not yet, but if you give me the chance I'd love to introduce myself." He brought her hand to his mouth and placed it with a kiss. "Nicholas Foxwarth Crane, but you my dear can call me Fox."  
  
"Well it's very nice to meet you Fox." She smiled, immediately making Fox's knees go weak."  
  
"So, do you have a boyfriend?" He devilishly asked.  
  
She almost immediately giggled at his question.  
  
"My, my Fox are you always this forward with the ladies?"  
  
"Only the incredibly beautiful ones." He winked at her.  
  
"I see," she nodded, never taking her eyes off of him.  
  
There was something about her that Fox found incredibly sexy, but he wasn't sure exactly what it was. She just seemed so confident, yet so innocent at the same time. All he knew was that it absolutely drove him crazy.  
  
"So may I ask what your name is?" He patiently waited for her to speak again, completely mesmerized by her soft delicate lips.  
  
"Theresa." She smiled up at him.  
  
Fox blinked back in confusion as the familiar name still rang in his ears.  
  
"I'm sorry, did you just say your name was—" he began to ask.  
  
"Theresa." Ethan finished his sentence, loudly clearing his throat. "Yes Fox, this is Theresa Lopez-Fitzgerald.  
  
Suddenly Fox remembered that his half-brother was still in the room.  
  
Ethan came over to the two of them and placed a heavy hand on Fox's shoulder.  
  
"Gosh Fox, do you have to flirt with every girl that you see?"  
  
Fox could sense that Ethan was upset.  
  
"I'm sorry Ethan I had no idea." He slowly said, feeling as though his heart had crushed in two.  
  
Ethan tore his angry stare away from Fox and turned to Theresa.  
  
"Is there something you wanted Theresa?"  
  
"Yes, I wanted to talk to you." She softly answered. "Fox do you mind?"  
  
He felt his stomach tighten at the sound of his name on her lips.  
  
"Oh yeah sure. I'll just go get something to eat." He slowly turned and walked out the door, leaving it open slightly.  
  
Once outside, he quietly pressed his ear to the door and listened intently.  
  
"So Ethan how are you?" Theresa asked him.  
  
"Um, I'm fine. I'm just working on something here."  
  
He pointed to his computer screen, avoiding her eyes.  
  
"Oh really? What is it?" She walked over and stood next to him, staring down at the screen.  
  
"I'm just trying to see if there's any way that I can win you some money against Julian. There has to be a judge out there that will give you something for what he did to you."  
  
"Oh, Ethan," Theresa tried to contain her happiness. "I knew that you would help me! I knew that you would understand that I only did what I did because I love you and Julian took advantage of me. I'm so happy that you finally trust me again! I just know that we will be happy together!"  
  
She blurted out, throwing her arms around his neck.  
  
"Uh, Theresa I think you misunderstood me." Ethan looked into her eyes.  
  
"What do you mean?" She asked confused, taking a step back. "You just said you were going to help me, right?"  
  
"Yes, I am going to try and help you. But that doesn't mean that anything has changed. I still feel the same way. We can never be together."  
  
He avoided her eyes once more, and walked around her, smelling a light scent of her perfume on his shirt.  
  
Theresa stood staring at the wall for a moment before turning around to him.  
  
"Ethan how can you say that?" She could already feel tears brimming her eyes. "I love you."  
  
"I know you do Theresa, but that's not enough." He let out a sigh. "I just can't trust you."  
  
"I know that I have done a lot of things in the past that weren't honest. But everything that I did, I did out of love for you. You have to understand that." She turned him around to face her. "My god Ethan, we were going to get married not too long ago. You couldn't have stopped loving me so soon."  
  
"Of course I haven't!" He grabbed her by her shoulders and stared into her tear-filled eyes. "But despite how we feel about each other, there's no point to continuing our relationship if there is no trust."  
  
"But if we love each other, that should be enough—"  
  
"No," He interrupted her, putting up his hand. "No Theresa, it's not enough."  
  
"Ethan—" Theresa pleaded, putting a hand on his arm.  
  
"I'm sorry."  
  
He pulled his arm away and reluctantly walked out of the library.  
  
Out in the hallway, Fox had to hide around the corner so that Ethan would not see him.  
  
When he was out of sight, Fox peered into the library.  
  
He watched as a saddened Theresa burst into tears, and fall into one of the chairs.  
  
"Jesus Ethan do you have to be so cruel?" He whispered to himself.  
  
He hated seeing her in so much pain. He longed to run in there and hold her in his arms, but he knew it was too soon.  
  
"She's hurting right now Fox, you have to be gentle." He murmured, still keeping his stare on her.  
  
But eventually she would be his. If Ethan wanted to throw what he had with her away, it was fine with him.  
  
"Because once she's mine, you will be very sorry my friend." He smiled, keeping a close eye on his future love. 


	5. A Waiting Opportunity

CH 4- A Waiting Opportunity  
  
After a while, Fox decided to leave Theresa alone so she could have some privacy.  
  
He was still angry with Ethan for the way he handled things.  
  
"He didn't have to be so harsh with her. It's so obvious she's still very much in love with him." He murmured to himself, as he walked downstairs.  
  
But in a way he was ok with it because he knew that the more Ethan pushed her away, the easier it would be for him to win her love.  
  
"It's just a matter of time." He whispered, as he pushed open the door to the kitchen.  
  
"Man, am I hungry!"  
  
He looked around the enormous unfamiliar room and squinted.  
  
"Now, where would I find a plate?"  
  
He hadn't been in this kitchen since he was a little boy. Everything looked so different. There even seemed to be more cupboards now.  
  
"Leave it to my mother and her decorators to turn a simple room in to a circus."  
  
He was about to go crazy when Phyllis walked in.  
  
"Is everything ok Fox?" She asked, noticing how distraught he looked.  
  
"Yeah, everything would be ok if I could find a plate in this place. I'm starving!"  
  
Fox ran a hand through his hair, as Phyllis opened one of the cupboards and handed him a plate.  
  
"Well that was easy." He said with a bewildered look on his face.  
  
"Fox," she giggled. "Why don't you just let one of the cooks fix you something to eat?"  
  
"Absolutely not. I refuse to bug the cooks to make me something as simple as a sandwich. Besides, a sandwich is easy compared to some of the other things I tried to cook as kid, remember?" He chuckled, grabbing some lettuce, tomatoes, meat and bread from the refrigerator.  
  
"Oh yes, how could I forget? You never used to leave Pilar's side when she made lunches for you and Ethan."  
  
"Ah, you have a good memory." He smiled, opening the fridge once more for cucumbers, pickles, and mayonnaise.  
  
"Of course I do. Don't you remember that time when Pilar found you in here with flour everywhere and when she asked you what you were doing, you told her you were making tortillas?" Phyllis started laughing uncontrollably as she remembered Fox's tiny face with flour all over it. "She had to give you such a bath after that."  
  
Fox rolled his eyes as he smiled at her smirking.  
  
"Well that wasn't one of my many masterpieces." He picked up his massive sandwich and smiled approvingly. "But this! Now this is what you call a sandwich!"  
  
"Fox, there is no way you can eat that?"  
  
"You wanna bet?" He grinned at her, with a daring expression on his face  
  
"I wouldn't dream of it. See, I actually know how much you can eat. But I have no idea where it all goes." She smiled patting his tummy, as she left.  
  
He carried his plate into the living room and sat on the sofa.  
  
He was just about to take a bite, when he heard tiny footsteps come down the stairs.  
  
When he turned around and saw that it was Theresa he almost choked on a piece of lettuce.  
  
As she came down the stairs and saw Fox she almost jumped back in surprise.  
  
"I'm sorry. I wasn't expecting anyone to be down here." She turned to him and gave him a weak smile. "Fox, when you see Ethan can you tell him that I've left please?"  
  
She was about to turn the knob on the door, but he jumped up and stopped her.  
  
"Wait, wait Theresa. Are you alright?" He asked concerned, coming over to her.  
  
He could tell that she had been crying a lot because her eyes were still very much red and swollen.  
  
"Yeah, I'm fine." She weakly smiled, avoiding his eyes.  
  
"Hmm. Well that's funny because you don't look fine." He crouched down to her eye-level so that she would look at him. "Do you want to talk about it? I can be a good listener."  
  
"I don't want to burden you with my problems Fox." She placed a hand on his arm and lightly brushed passed him.  
  
The contact immediately made ever hair on his neck stand up.  
  
"Actually it wouldn't be a burden at all Theresa. In fact, I'd be happy to." He looked at her and smiled.  
  
"Are you sure?" She gave him an uncertain look.  
  
"Absolutely!" He grabbed his jacket from the chair. "I'm sure there's a café around here where we could talk."  
  
He opened the door open for her.  
  
"After you," he smiled, as she passed in front of him.  
  
He closed the door behind them and followed close behind her.  
  
Just as they left, Phyllis walked into the living room. She looked down at the untouched sandwich Fox had left on the table.  
  
"I knew he couldn't eat it." She shook her head. "I should have made that bet."  
  
She smiled taking the plate back into the kitchen.  
  
~*~*~*  
  
Ethan stood in the bathroom and stared at his reflection in the mirror.  
  
He had heard Theresa's loud sobs from down the hall and held his head in anguish.  
  
He remembered how sad her eyes looked earlier.  
  
"Dammit!" He slammed his fists down hard on the sink in frustration.  
  
He hated hurting her. That's why he had left in such a hurry. He couldn't bear to look into her saddened eyes any longer.  
  
He loved her so much but he just could not trust her. And it killed him because he wanted to be with her despite of that.  
  
"Why couldn't you have just been honest with me Theresa?" He whispered to himself.  
  
He turned on the faucet and splashed cold water on his face, staring back up at his reflection in the mirror.  
  
"I'm so sorry Theresa." He sighed. "I honestly don't want to lose you."  
  
But Ethan had no idea that he was doing just that, and at this very moment she was being comforted by his very willing half-brother. 


	6. A Comforting Friend

CH 5- A Comforting Friend  
  
Fox walked close behind Theresa as they turned the corner toward Le Café du Soleil.  
  
The walk there had been extremely quiet and neither of them said very much. Even though Fox had made little attempts to start conversations, Theresa mostly nodded and smiled.  
  
He even wondered if taking her out to talk was such a good idea. So far, she didn't seem to enjoy their little pre-date and it worried him.  
  
"How can I make you open up to me Theresa?" He thought to himself.  
  
He looked over at her as they walked.  
  
Although her body was there, her mind seemed to be a million miles away. Fox knew that she was thinking about Ethan. If only he could get her to forget him. But he knew that it would take time. Ethan still had a big part of her heart and it would be a while before she would let him in, but he would not give up.  
  
"Theresa?" He asked, stopping in front of the café.  
  
She had already begun to walk past him when she stopped and turned around.  
  
"Yeah?" She looked at him puzzled.  
  
"We're here." He smiled at her, looking up at the building.  
  
"Oh," she bashfully smiled. "I didn't even notice."  
  
She walked into the café as he held the door open for her.  
  
They took a seat next to the window, as a waitress came over to them.  
  
"Hi, what can I get for you today?" she asked with a smile.  
  
"I'll just have an iced cappuccino." Theresa simply said.  
  
"And I'll have an ice-latté." Fox added.  
  
When the waitress left, Fox just stared at her.  
  
"Theresa, are you alright? You've been so quiet since we left the house." He finally asked her.  
  
"Oh I'm sorry Fox." She apologetically smiled. "I haven't been much company have I?"  
  
"It's alright. I mean, I understand that you're not exactly in high spirits. I'm sure whatever's going on between you and my half-brother has really got you down."  
  
She immediately looked up at him.  
  
"How did you know I was upset about Ethan?"  
  
Fox bit his bottom lip. He didn't want her to know that he had been listening at the door while Ethan and her talked.  
  
"Um, well it's pretty obvious that you're upset about something and plus Ethan and I were talking earlier and he told me that you two were pretty close to getting married." He quickly thought.  
  
"Yeah," She wearily smiled, tears coming to her eyes. "That is until I helped to ruin his life."  
  
"What do you mean?" He asked, pretending to be completely oblivious of the situation.  
  
"Well, I knew all along that Julian was not really Ethan's biological father and I kept it from him. When he finally found out, he was furious. He said he could never trust me because I had kept it a secret from him for so long."  
  
She took a deep breath and stared out the window.  
  
"I should have just told him the truth."  
  
"Well Theresa I know that you probably didn't tell him because you didn't want to hurt him right?" Fox looked at her.  
  
"That's exactly why I didn't tell him. But Ethan said that it wasn't my place to decide that. He said I should just have been honest with him." She looked up at him. "Now his life is falling apart because he's not a Crane anymore."  
  
"Well, I'm sure his life is not falling apart. Speaking from experience, being a Crane isn't exactly the greatest. If anything, Ethan's probably better off without the paparazzi, outrageous headlines, crazy scandals, threatening letters..."  
  
"Fox, you know what I mean." She laughed at his exaggeration. "Ethan will never be as financially stable as he was when he thought he was Crane."  
  
"Yeah, that's true." He leaned back in his chair and took a sip of his drink. "But money isn't everything Theresa. Besides, I'm sure that whatever you did, you did because you love him."  
  
She slowly nodded in agreement but then sadly gazed out the window.  
  
"Theresa," he sighed, placing a hand over hers.  
  
She looked at him.  
  
"What's the matter? Don't you agree with me?" He asked, surprised that she didn't pull away.  
  
"No, I do. It's just that it's not that easy Fox." She looked into his eyes. "I've told Ethan countless times how much I care about him, but he still emphasizes the fact that we can never be together because he doesn't trust me. It just kills me to know that I've hurt him that much."  
  
Fox watched as tears fell down her face.  
  
He reached over and lightly brushed them away.  
  
She looked up at him surprised but smiled in response.  
  
"Theresa, you really shouldn't be so hard on yourself. Ethan's just really upset right now. He has a lot on his plate and he just needs to sort everything out. I'm sure he'll come around eventually."  
  
Secretly Fox hoped that Ethan would maintain his close-minded ways. That way, Theresa would draw closer to him and he would have her all to himself.  
  
"What are you smiling about?" She asked grinning at him.  
  
"Oh," he fumbled. "Uh, I was just thinking about how easily we hit it off. Didn't we just meet each other a couple of hours ago?"  
  
"Yeah, we did." She lightly giggled. "I guess it's just because you're so easy to talk to Fox."  
  
She looked at him and smiled, the sunlight giving her hair a beautiful auburn color.  
  
"Well thank you. I just hope I made you feel better."  
  
"Oh you have, trust me. Thanks to you I may actually be able to sleep tonight." She looked down at her watch and frowned.  
  
"What's wrong?"  
  
"I need to get going," she sighed. She grabbed her bag and slid out of her seat. "But this was really great Fox. Thanks for taking the time to listen to me. You're an angel."  
  
She bent over and gave him a kiss on his cheek, sending immediate chills down his spine.  
  
"See you later." She smiled heading out the door.  
  
Fox leaned back in his chair and grinned.  
  
"Well it wasn't exactly a make out session Fox, but at least you got a kiss." He mumbled to himself. "And hopefully after this, there will be many more."  
  
He glanced out the window and watched her walk away, her hair blowing in the sweet summer breeze. 


	7. A Nightly Visit

CH 6- A Nightly Visit  
  
Theresa changed into her nightgown and climbed into bed. She was just about to snuggle in underneath her covers when she heard a noise coming from her window.  
  
She swung her feet around her bed and slowly made her way over.  
  
Her curtains were closed but she could still see the shadow of someone there.  
  
She could feel her heart pounding hard in her chest, as she grabbed a nearby bat from her closet.  
  
She held it up and slowly opened the curtains.  
  
"Oh my god!" She exclaimed as she saw who it was.  
  
She dropped the bat and opened the window.  
  
"Fox, what are you doing here?" She breathed a sigh of relief. "You scared me to death!"  
  
"I'm so sorry Theresa, I didn't mean to startle you but I didn't want to wake up everyone else by ringing the doorbell."  
  
He climbed through the window and stood in front of her.  
  
His shirt was half-buttoned, so it exposed his strong and muscular chest.  
  
Theresa had to look away to stop herself from blushing. She could smell his cologne in the cool night breeze. It almost made her dizzy.  
  
"So, what are you doing here?" she asked him, staring into his caramel colored eyes.  
  
"Well, I was worried about you. I just wanted to make sure that you still weren't upset about Ethan." He lightly brushed a strand of hair away from her face and gently tucked it behind her ear.  
  
"Oh, Fox." She smiled up at him. "I actually feel a lot better thanks to you. You really helped a lot."  
  
He bashfully grinned and stared down at the ground.  
  
"Is that all you wanted?" She asked, trying to look into his eyes.  
  
His gaze finally met hers as he took a step closer to her.  
  
"Well, that and I really wanted to see you."  
  
He lightly traced the outline of her nightgown strap with his fingers.  
  
The contact sent chills all through Theresa's body; she had to hold on to her bedpost to keep still.  
  
"My god, you are so beautiful." He said in a low voice, slipping the strap off her shoulder.  
  
"Fox, I don't think this is such a good—" she began, but he placed a finger to her lips.  
  
"Shhhhhh," he whispered.  
  
Theresa closed her eyes as she felt Fox's warm lips on hers.  
  
Her head began to spin as he explored her mouth with his tongue, deepening the kiss even more.  
  
She let out a small whimper as his hands slipped underneath her nightgown and rubbed her thigh.  
  
"Oh Fox," she managed to say in between his sweet kisses.  
  
She felt a twinge of guilt inside of her as she thought of how she would be hurting Ethan, but she couldn't help it. Being with Fox just felt so right.  
  
She pulled him down onto her bed as he placed kiss after kiss down her neck. His body fit perfectly against hers as she felt him between her thighs.  
  
"Make love to me Fox," she whispered in his ear. "Make love to me right now!"  
  
~*~*~*  
  
Theresa sat up in bed as beads of sweat poured down her back and neck.  
  
She looked around her room. A stream of sunlight shone through her curtains and she could hear the birds singing outside.  
  
"Oh my god, it was just a dream!" she whispered, letting herself fall back down on her bed.  
  
She rubbed her forehead as she tried to control her breathing.  
  
"Why was I dreaming about making love to Fox?" she whispered to herself. "I love Ethan. Don't I?"  
  
She glanced at her reflection in the mirror.  
  
"Oh boy, Theresa." She sighed. "This is not good."  
  
She got out of bed and tied her hair back in a loose ponytail pulling on a pair of jeans.  
  
"Maybe some breakfast will clear my thoughts," she said to herself.  
  
She opened her door and went down the stairs. She could already smell the eggs cooking in the hot frying pan.  
  
"Mmmmm," she smiled. "Mama, that smells so g—" she began pushing open the door to the kitchen.  
  
She almost gasped when she saw who was sitting at the breakfast table with her mother.  
  
"Fox!" she exclaimed. "What are you doing here?" 


	8. Awkward Moments

CH 7- Awkward Moments  
  
Theresa felt as if her knees were going to give out, as she stood there staring at Fox sitting at the breakfast table.  
  
"Therasita, that is no way to speak to our guest." Pilar shockingly looked up at her daughter.  
  
"Oh, that's alright Pilar." Fox smiled. "I'm sure Theresa was just surprised to see me so early in the morning."  
  
"Yeah, that's it." Theresa slowly sat down across from him. "I'm sorry Fox, I just wasn't expecting to see you."  
  
She raised her head and slightly gazed at him, but quickly looked away. She could still feel her heart pounding hard against her chest.  
  
Calm down Theresa. She thought to herself. It was just a dream. It didn't mean anything.  
  
"Mija are you alright? You're trembling!" Pilar gave her daughter a concerned look.  
  
Theresa looked down at her hands and saw that they were indeed shaking.  
  
"What's the matter Theresa, didn't you sleep well?" Fox looked at her.  
  
"What?" She immediately looked up at him. "W-what do you mean, did I sleep well? Of course I did. Why would you think I didn't sleep well?"  
  
Fox stared at her oddly.  
  
"I just thought you didn't get enough sleep; which would explain the shaking." He placed a hand over her hers and smiled.  
  
"No, I'm fine!" She quickly slipped her hand from underneath his and stood up, walking over to the cupboards.  
  
She turned her back to them and took a deep breath.  
  
"Ok Theresa, you have got to calm down." She whispered to herself. "Fox can never know that you dreamed about making love to him." She nervously rubbed her forehead. "You just have to pretend like nothing happened."  
  
She grabbed a plate form the cupboard and headed back to the table.  
  
"So Fox, why did you come by so early?" she asked him, trying to act normal.  
  
"Well it was for two reasons actually. One, it finally dawned on me that Pilar was your mother." He laughed. "I can't believe I didn't figure that out earlier."  
  
"I don't understand. You knew my mom before you met me?" Theresa asked puzzled.  
  
"Yes, Mija. I used to take care of Fox and Ethan when they were little. But then Fox moved away to boarding school and Ethan stayed here." Pilar explained.  
  
"So when I woke up this morning I just had to come see how she was." Fox smiled.  
  
"And I'm I glad that you did." Pilar grinned, lightly touching his face. "You have grown into such a handsome young man."  
  
"Well, that's only because you took such good care of me." Fox smiled approvingly.  
  
Theresa sat back in her chair and lovingly stared at the two of them.  
  
She loved how well Fox and her mother got along. He was so caring and sweet. Any girl would be crazy to not fall for him.  
  
Fox glanced at Theresa and noticed that she was staring at him.  
  
He had noticed how odd she was acting the moment she stepped into the kitchen. It was as if she was completely uncomfortable around him and it concerned him.  
  
I want you to draw closer to me Theresa, not away. He thought to himself. Why are you suddenly acting so distant from me?  
  
Theresa shifted in her chair uncomfortably, as Fox stared at her.  
  
Why is he looking at me like that? She nervously thought. He couldn't possibly know what I dreamt, could he?  
  
She cleared her throat and stood up to put her plate in the sink.  
  
"So what was the second reason you came over?" She asked him over her shoulder.  
  
"Actually, I wanted to see you." He said, spooning the last bit of eggs into his mouth.  
  
Theresa almost dropped the plate at Fox's response; the familiar words from her dream flooding back into her head.  
  
Not noticing Theresa's reaction, Fox continued.  
  
"I wanted to see you so that I could inform you about the party that I'm having."  
  
"Party?" Theresa asked, breathing a sigh of relief.  
  
"Yeah, my mother insists on throwing one to celebrate me coming home. I thought you might like to come." Fox smiled up at her.  
  
"Well that sounds like fun Mija, you should go." Pilar suggested, grabbing Fox's plate and bringing it over to the sink.  
  
"But I don't have anything to wear."  
  
"Well then we'll just have to go shopping now won't we?" Fox grinned, winking at her.  
  
"Right now?" she giggled.  
  
"Of course right now!" He laughed. "C'mon Theresa, it'll be fun. We'll find you dress, eat some ice-cream, and I promise to have you home by midnight."  
  
"Ok!" She threw her hands up in defeat. "Just let me go take a shower really quickly, and we'll be on our way."  
  
She happily dashed out the kitchen and ran upstairs.  
  
"Oh Fox, it's really sweet of you to take Theresa out for some fun. She's been so down lately about Ethan. She could really use the cheering up." She kissed his forehead and went into the living room.  
  
"Well Pilar, I'll definitely help Theresa forget about Ethan. If things go according to my plan, I'll have her falling in love with me in no time."  
  
He smiled as he waited for his princess to come back downstairs. 


	9. A Fun Afternoon

CH 8- A Fun Afternoon  
  
"Ok, I'm ready to go!" Theresa bounced downstairs as Fox stood up from the couch.  
  
He looked at her and smiled admirably. She wore a pair of tight-fitting jeans, a white tank top, and her hair was pulled back into a half ponytail. Although she was dressed quite simple, Fox thought Theresa looked incredibly sexy.  
  
"Well, alright beautiful. I guess we'll be on our way then!" He smiled grabbing his jacket from the chair.  
  
"Ok mama, we're leaving now!" Theresa called.  
  
"Alright Mija, you have fun." Pilar poked her head out the kitchen. "And Fox, thank you so much for stopping by, it was great to see you."  
  
"Oh, it was my pleasure Mrs. Lopez-Fitzgerald. Good-bye!" He smiled, closing the door behind them.  
  
"So Fox, what do you have planned for us this afternoon?" Theresa asked him as they walked.  
  
"Well I don't exactly know yet, but I do know that it will be tons of fun because well, I'm a fun a guy." He winked at her.  
  
"Oh, I'm sure of that." She laughed getting into his car.  
  
As he drove, Theresa felt herself become more relaxed. Her mind was no longer on the dream she had that morning about Fox. She figured it was just her hormones that made her dream she was making love to him. Fox was a very attractive man, and any girl would have to be made of stone to not find him incredibly sexy. Besides that, he was extremely sweet and caring. He was exactly the kind of guy that any girl would love to have as her boyfriend.  
  
"But not you Theresa," She told herself. "You love Ethan. Fox is just a good friend."  
  
"Did you say something?" Fox turned to her.  
  
"Oh no, I was just thinking about how nice it was of you to take me shopping for a dress to wear at your party."  
  
"Oh, don't worry about it. Besides it'll be fun." Fox smirked.  
  
Theresa could hear the sarcasm in his voice as he spoke.  
  
"What is that suppose to mean?" She oddly smiled at him.  
  
"Don't get me wrong Theresa. I love spending time with you, and there is nothing I'd love to do more than to help you out. But there is also nothing that I hate more than to go shopping."  
  
"What? Why?" She shrieked. 'It's the best!"  
  
"Yeah, if you're a girl," He mumbled.  
  
"I heard that," She lightly punched him. "And that is so not true. I know tons of guys who like to go shopping."  
  
"Well then they're obviously not as cool as me." He grinned, slipping on a pair of sunshades.  
  
Theresa laughed at Fox's attempt to look cool.  
  
"C'mon, haven't your sisters ever dragged you shopping?"  
  
"My sisters?" Fox looked at her.  
  
"Yeah, Ethan told me once that Julian and Ivy had other children and that two of them were girls." Theresa recalled.  
  
"Yeah, that right." He nodded. "But my sisters are more on the superficial side. They wouldn't be caught dead buying anything off the rack. They usually get their clothes ordered."  
  
"Oh I see," She smirked. "I should have known the Cranes wouldn't like anything that wasn't super expensive."  
  
"Ouch, that hurts!" Fox placed a hand to his heart.  
  
"I didn't mean you Fox." She looked over at him. "You and Sheridan are completely different from the rest of the Cranes. Sometimes I wonder how you two could be related to them."  
  
"I wonder that myself sometimes." Fox smiled. "But seriously Theresa, I'm not feeling this whole shopping thing."  
  
"Well you know what? I am willing to change your mind." She gave him a mischievous look. "In fact, I bet you that I can get you to smile and enjoy yourself at least once today."  
  
"If we're still going shopping I don't see how that can happen."  
  
"We'll see" Theresa grinned, looking out the window.  
  
Her eye caught a dress that was hanging in the display window of a department store.  
  
"Fox, stop the car!!!" She yelled.  
  
"What? What?" He frantically screamed, slamming down the brakes.  
  
"I just saw the perfect dress in that store back there! We have got to go in and see it!" She happily squealed.  
  
"Geez Theresa, I thought I hit a cat or something!" Fox threw his hands up in disbelief.  
  
"Opps, sorry. I just got really excited." She bashfully giggled. "C'mon lets go!"  
  
"And the fun begins!" Fox sarcastically smiled at her, getting out of the car.  
  
"Come on," she grabbed his arm and pulled him into the store.  
  
Once they got into the store, a woman happily assisted Theresa in trying on tons of dresses. Fox sat in front of her changing room and read magazines.  
  
Theresa came out of the room wearing a pink, short, sleeveless dress with white roses on it.  
  
"Alright, what do you think about this one?" She stood in front of him and turned around.  
  
Fox slightly gazed up from his magazine and looked at her.  
  
"That's nice." He simply said.  
  
"Fox, that's what you've been saying for the last four dresses that I've put on." She pouted. "Can't you say something other than 'that's nice'?"  
  
Fox smiled at her. She was so cute when she was getting angry.  
  
He put the magazine aside and sat up straight.  
  
"Ok, I promise for the next dress that you put on, I will be completely energized."  
  
"Well, I don't have any more dresses to put on right now." She made a face at him.  
  
"I could find you some more miss." The sales lady offered.  
  
"Actually, would it be possible for me to try on that one?" She pointed to the dress that she had seen earlier.  
  
"Certainly." She smiled. "I'll go get it for you."  
  
She wandered to the back of the store and brought Theresa a duplicate of the dress on the mannequin.  
  
"Here you go." She handed the dress to Theresa. "Call me if you need anything."  
  
"I will, thank you."  
  
Theresa closed the change room door, as Fox waited once more.  
  
"Hey Fox, can I ask you a question?" She said from behind the door.  
  
"Yeah, sure." He unconsciously picked up a magazine and glanced through it.  
  
"What do you think about dreams?"  
  
"What about them?"  
  
"Well, do you think they mean anything?" she nervously asked him.  
  
"Well, it depends. Some dreams can be a refection of what a person secretly thinks about and has in their heart and some dreams can just be because of something meaningless that you thought about one time. Why do ask?"  
  
"Oh, nothing. It was just something that I was wondering." She lied, breathing out a sigh of relief.  
  
Fox looked up at the closed door and smiled. As Theresa talked, he could hear her zipping up her dress.  
  
There was something about her talking to him and changing at the same time that he found erotically enjoyable. But he quickly shook his head and tried to concentrate on the article he was reading, despite the noises he heard from inside the change room.  
  
"Ok, I'm ready!" She called, unlocking the door.  
  
Fox looked up as Theresa walked out of the room. His mouth dropped wide open at the sight of her.  
  
Standing before him, she wore a long wine colored dress that went down to her mid-calves. The neckline dipped extremely low, showing off her firm breasts and came up behind her neck in a halter-top style. The rear of the dress exposed her entire back and ended dangerously above her buttocks. She looked absolutely stunning!  
  
"Well, what do you think?" She smiled, waiting for his answer.  
  
"Uh, uh..." Fox stuttered, finding it hard to speak.  
  
Theresa laughed at his shocked expression.  
  
"That wasn't exactly a very energetic response Fox." She giggled.  
  
"Yeah, well I'm finding it quite difficult to speak right now." He laughed, still staring at her. "My god, Theresa you look absolutely gorgeous!"  
  
His eyes kept wandering down her dangerously low neck and back line, as he struggled to think clean thoughts.  
  
"You are absolutely going to knock them dead at my party!" He smiled at her reflection.  
  
"You really think so?" She grinned, happily.  
  
"Absolutely!"  
  
"Great!" She smiled approvingly. "I hope Ethan likes it!"  
  
Fox felt as if he had just received a blow to his stomach.  
  
"I'm sure he will." He sadly smiled at her.  
  
"Ok, well I'm going to go pay for it and then we can go." She returned to the change room, as Fox sat back down.  
  
"Why can't I get you to forget him Theresa?" He whispered to himself. "It seems no matter what I do, Ethan always manages to come up."  
  
When she came out, he followed her to the front so she could pay.  
  
"Ok, that will be $598.99." The cashier told Theresa.  
  
"Oh my gosh, I didn't realize it was that much." She embarrassedly frowned.  
  
"Theresa, what is it?" Fox looked at her concerned.  
  
"I-I don't have enough money." She fumbled. "I'm going to have to return this."  
  
She began pushing the dress aside, but Fox stopped her.  
  
"Theresa, don't be silly." He said, taking out one of his credit cards. "Here use this."  
  
Theresa watched in shock as Fox handed the cashier the card.  
  
"Thank you, have a good day." The cashier smiled, as they walked towards the door.  
  
"Oh my gosh Fox, you did not have to do that." Theresa looked at him in awe.  
  
"Honey, don't worry about it." He smiled, putting her bag in his trunk. "It was my pleasure."  
  
"Oh my god! You are amazing, you know that?" Theresa shrieked, poking him in his side.  
  
Fox instantly jumped back when her finger made contact with his body.  
  
"I can't believe this!" She laughed. "Fox, Crane is ticklish!"  
  
"No I am not!" He defensively giggled.  
  
Challenged, Theresa began tickling him even more, sending him into a fit of laughter.  
  
"Ha! I win!" She threw her hands up.  
  
"What are you talking about?" He looked at her mischievously.  
  
"I knew I could get you to have a good time!" She laughed. "And if I'm not mistaken, I think I see a smile right there." She gently brushed a finger over his lips.  
  
He was so shaken up by the sudden contact that he only smiled in response.  
  
"I guess you have won then." He grinned, opening the door for her as she slipped in the car.  
  
"Yup," she smiled. "Thank you so much Fox, this was a blast! We definitely have to do this again some time."  
  
"Oh, I am counting on it." He winked at her, getting into the driver's seat. "And I hope it's sometime soon."  
  
He started up the car, and happily headed home. 


	10. Brotherly Conflict

CH 9-Brotherly Conflict  
  
After dropping Theresa off, Fox decided to go home to get ready for his party.  
  
He opened the door to the mansion and saw the living room packed with decorators, cooks, and maids. His mother Ivy Crane was amongst them all giving orders out to everyone around her. When she spotted Fox at the door, she leaped up and came to him.  
  
"Fox, darling I'm so happy you're home!" She kissed him. "Listen, I've been busy all day trying to get ready for your welcome home party tonight. Even though it was sort of short notice, I have a promising group of people attending. A lot of top executive people will be coming tonight Fox, and who knows maybe one of them will be able to offer you an important position."  
  
"Yeah, sure mother." Fox said sarcastically.  
  
He wasn't interested in meeting any top executives. All he wanted to do was hold Theresa in his arms and dance with her the entire nightlong.  
  
"Great!" She happily squealed, not sensing the sarcasm in his voice. "Did you invite a friend to the party like I told you to?"  
  
"Yeah, actually I did." Fox beamed, knowing his mother was not going to like this. "I invited Theresa."  
  
Ivy immediately turned around and looked at her son in disbelief.  
  
"Theresa, as in Theresa Lopez-Fitzgerald?" She asked in disgust.  
  
"The one and only!" He grinned.  
  
"Fox no! That girl is pure trouble! All she ever does is ruin people's lives. Just look at what she did to Ethan?"  
  
"Mother first of all, what happened between Theresa and Ethan was not entirely her fault. Secondly, you are the one who told me to invite someone, and lastly, I like Theresa. She's a beautiful, kind and sweet girl and she's coming to this party as my guest whether you like it or not."  
  
Ivy knew better than to argue with him. Out of all her children, Fox was probably the most stubborn one of all. Once he made up his mind about something, there was no point in even trying to change it.  
  
"Fine," she huffed. "But you keep her far way from me!"  
  
She walked away and attended to one of her decorators.  
  
Fox smiled and picked up one of the cakes the cooks had made.  
  
"Mmmm, this is pretty good." He said to himself, stuffing the rest into his mouth.  
  
In the kitchen, Ethan was busy doing some paper work.  
  
He suddenly felt himself get really dizzy, as he put a hand to his head.  
  
"That's strange," He thought to himself. "I wonder what made that come on?"  
  
He put his hand to his mouth and began coughing uncontrollably. Every time he coughed, he held his stomach; the pain striking his insides.  
  
What's happening to me? He thought.  
  
Fox pushed open the door to the kitchen and smiled to himself, thinking about his fun afternoon with Theresa. He turned his head and saw Ethan hunched over the table coughing violently.  
  
"Ethan!" He ran to his side. "Jesus, what's wrong?"  
  
Ethan just continued coughing, his face turning pale. Fox jumped up and ran to the fridge, pouring a glass of water. He handed it to Ethan, and knelt down beside him once more.  
  
After a few sips of the water, Ethan stopped coughing. He leaned back in the chair and caught his breath.  
  
"Thank you Fox," he whispered, taking another sip.  
  
"What happened man? I came in here and it looked like you were about to cough up a lung!"  
  
"I don't know." Ethan shrugged. "My throat just suddenly felt really dry, and then I couldn't stop coughing. It's probably just the air."  
  
"Yeah, probably." Fox nodded and smiled, staring into space.  
  
"What are you so happy about?" Ethan looked up at him. "Where were you this afternoon?"  
  
"I went out," He simple said, hopping up on the counter.  
  
"Well it must have been some place. You look like you've been hit by one of cupid's arrows." Ethan smirked, flipping through his papers.  
  
"Well I have in a way," he smiled. "I was out with Theresa. We went shopping!"  
  
Ethan looked at Fox, a shade of crimson creeping up around his cheeks.  
  
"Theresa?" He repeated. "What were you doing out with her?"  
  
Fox noticed a bit of anger in Ethan's voice as he stared at him.  
  
"Well, not that it's any of your business, but like I told you we went shopping for a dress for her to wear tonight."  
  
"What? She's coming here tonight?" Ethan could feel his blood boiling.  
  
"Yeah, I invited her. She's going to be my date." Fox smirked.  
  
Ethan shot up from his chair in a fit of anger.  
  
"What the hell is that suppose to mean?" He took a step closer to him. "You're not actually falling for her, are you Fox?"  
  
"What if I am? I don't see why that should concern you?" Fox hopped down from the counter. "If I remember correctly, you pushed Theresa out of your life."  
  
"I did not!" Ethan denied.  
  
"Yes you did!" Fox shot back. "You made it quite clear that you didn't want to have anything to do with her. In fact I distinctly remember you telling me that you and Theresa could no longer have a relationship because you didn't trust her. So what is it? It's either you want to be with her or you don't."  
  
"It's not that I don't want to be with her. It's just that I can't and you know why." Ethan stared at him. "Besides, even if I can't be with Theresa, there is no way in hell that I would want her to be with someone like you. You treat women like dirt, and Theresa doesn't deserve that."  
  
"Whatever Ethan, I'm not like that anymore. But you know what? It doesn't matter because right now you don't have a say in this." Fox looked at Ethan with stern eyes. "You made your choice already. You chose to push Theresa out of your life, so if I decide to be with her there's not a damn thing you can say or do."  
  
Ethan just stood there staring at his half-brother with cold and hateful eyes.  
  
"Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go ready." He looked down at his watch. "It's almost time for me to go pick up my date."  
  
He pushed past Ethan and walked out the kitchen.  
  
Ethan grinded his fists together as he stared at the swinging door.  
  
"There is no way that I am going to let you have her Fox. No way!"  
  
Theresa stared into her reflection as she carefully put on a pair of earrings.  
  
She stood back and looked at herself in her full-length mirror.  
  
Everything looked perfect: from her hair to the beautiful dress that Fox had bought for her. She still couldn't believe how generous he had been. He was so caring and sweet. She was so lucky to have him as her friend.  
  
Suddenly Theresa heard a knock on her door.  
  
"Come in," she called.  
  
"Oh, Thereasita you look beautiful!" Pilar poked her head in.  
  
She came into the room and smiled at her daughter.  
  
"Thank you mama, but I wouldn't look this good if it weren't for Fox."  
  
"What do you mean?" Pilar looked at her confused.  
  
Theresa told her mother about the generous act that he had done that afternoon.  
  
"Oh my goodness, Fox is quite the gentleman!" Pilar said.  
  
"Yeah, and he's funny too!" Theresa smiled. "He always manages to make me laugh, even when I feel the worse. If it weren't for him, I would probably be in no shape to go to a party tonight. He's so caring and considerate. He's absolutely amazing! Sometimes I wonder how he can even be a Crane."  
  
When Theresa didn't hear her mother respond, she turned around to face her. Pilar just sat on the bed and stared at her daughter smiling.  
  
"What is it mama?"  
  
"You like him," Pilar observed. "And I don't mean as a friend Mija. I think you are slowly falling in love with Fox."  
  
Theresa quickly turned back to the mirror, shocked by her mother's comment.  
  
"That's crazy mama! I'm in love with Ethan. I've always been in love with him." She objected.  
  
"I know you have, but you've been spending a lot of time with Fox lately. Have you ever thought that maybe what you feel for him is a little more than just friendship?"  
  
Theresa suddenly felt her face get warm, as she remembered the dream she had about Fox. Could mama be right? She thought to herself. Could I actually be falling in love with Fox?  
  
From downstairs, Theresa heard the doorbell ring.  
  
"I wonder who that could be?" She turned to her mother.  
  
"I don't know. Are you expecting anybody?" Pilar asked her.  
  
Theresa shook her head, as Pilar went downstairs to answer the door.  
  
Pilar turned the knob and smiled at the handsome man standing on the front porch.  
  
"Hello Mrs. Lopez Fitzgerald." Fox grinned, holding a bouquet of roses in his arms. "Is Cinderella ready to go to the ball?"  
  
"Fox, what a surprise!" Pilar beamed. "Theresa will be so happy to see you."  
  
She turned to the stairs and called for her daughter.  
  
"Therasita! There is someone here to see you!"  
  
"Who is it mama?"  
  
Theresa slowly came down the stairs and smiled when she saw who it was.  
  
Fox looked up at her and closed his mouth. She looked even more beautiful than she did in the store.  
  
"Ichi-wawa!" He whistled.  
  
"Fox," Theresa bashfully giggled. "What are you doing here?"  
  
"Well I came to take my beautiful date to the party." He smiled handing her the roses.  
  
"Thank you," she grinned, noticing the white limo parked outside.  
  
"Shall we go?" He let her pass by him, as he inhaled her sweet perfume. "I promise I won't have her home to late Pilar."  
  
"Oh, I trust you Fox." Pilar smiled at the two of them. "Have a great time!"  
  
She closed the door behind them, as she watched the expensive limo leave the driveway. 


	11. Crushed Hearts and New Revelations

CH 10-Crushed Hearts and New Revelations  
  
When the limo pulled into the driveway, Fox got out and held the door open for Theresa. As she carefully stepped out, Fox noticed a sparkle of happiness in her eyes.  
  
"Theresa, are you ok?" He asked closing the door behind her.  
  
"Am I ok?" She looked up at him smiling. "Fox, I am better than ok! The night hasn't even begun yet and I already feel like I'm walking on air! The dress that you bought for me is beautiful, this limo is beautiful, my god these roses are beautiful!" She happily cried, looking down at the gorgeous bouquet.  
  
Fox laughed at her over-excitement.  
  
"Well, I thought you could use the special attention since lately you've been kind of down about my half-brother." He looked down at her.  
  
"Yeah, well I just really want to be with Ethan. He was my first love and even though right now we're having a bit of problems, I just know that we will be together again." She smiled hopefully.  
  
I don't know about that Theresa. Fox thought to himself. I have a strong feeling that tonight things aren't going to go according to the way you plan.  
  
"What's wrong Fox? Don't you think Ethan and I will be together again?" She asked him, noticing the concerned expression on his face.  
  
Fox took a deep breath.  
  
"I just hope that you don't end up getting hurt Theresa."  
  
"I won't Fox, because deep in my heart I know that Ethan still loves me." She looked up at him. "But enough about this. There is a party in there with your name on it, so let's go in and have a good time!"  
  
"Well, I can't argue with that!" He smiled, taking her by the arm.  
  
He turned the doorknob and stepped into the crowded mansion. Although he didn't recognize every face, there were a few people whom he remembered meeting when he had first arrived.  
  
Standing by the piano, Fox noticed Sheridan and her husband Luis talking to Gwen and her fiancée Hank. Over by the window stood Coach and Dr Russell, with Whitney and Chad not too far away. His mother and father were of course mingling with different executives and Sam was enjoying a lovely dance with his wife Grace Bennett with Charity and Miguel close by.  
  
Over by the stairwell, Fox noticed Ethan keeping a close eye on him and Theresa. He knew that there was a good chance he was still upset about their confrontation earlier but he didn't care. Ethan chose to push Theresa out of his life and therefore if Fox wanted to be with her, there was nothing he could do.  
  
Fox glanced down at Theresa and noticed that she too had seen Ethan. Her face suddenly lit up at the sight of him, as she tugged on Fox's arm.  
  
"There's Ethan," she looked up at him. "I'm going to go see if I can talk to him. I'll see you later ok?"  
  
"Yeah sure," Fox sadly smiled down at her.  
  
As he watched her walk over to Ethan, he felt a pain of worry in his stomach.  
  
I really wish that you would just give up on him Theresa. He whispered to himself. I'm not only saying this because I care about you. I honestly feel that if you don't give up on Ethan soon, you're going to wind up getting more hurt than you can ever imagine.  
  
"Fox darling!" Ivy came over to him with two fine-dressed men. "I'd like to introduce you to Mr. Kendall and Mr. Cumminton. They are the executive managers for the Banting Project."  
  
"We are extremely pleased to meet you Mr. Crane. We have heard very good things about you." Fox shook both gentlemen's hands and smiled.  
  
Although they were talking to him, Fox couldn't bring himself to hear a word that they were saying. He was way too worried about Theresa. He glanced over at her talking to Ethan and frowned.  
  
Ethan you better be gentle with her. He thought to himself. I don't think she can handle you hurting her anymore.  
  
"Hello Ethan," Theresa walked over to him.  
  
"Hello," he tried hard to control his frustration. "I see you came here with Fox."  
  
"Yeah," she smiled. "He was nice to bring me. He even had a limo come pick me up at my house!"  
  
Ethan placed two hands on her shoulder.  
  
"Theresa, you're playing with fire." He blurted out.  
  
"What do mean?" She looked at him confused.  
  
"I mean you and Fox." He explained, "He's not who you think he is."  
  
"Me and Fox? Ethan—"Theresa tried to correct him.  
  
"No, listen to me." He looked deep into her eyes. "You can't be fooled by Fox's charm and sweet words. He just uses those things to confuse women and then when he knows he has you under his spell, he takes advantage of you."  
  
"Ethan, Fox wouldn't do that." She objected.  
  
"Yes he would Theresa. You just don't know him well enough!" He took a deep breath. "Fox is a womanizer! He treats all women like dirt! He doesn't care for any of them. He only wants them for one thing, and once he gets it he moves on to the next."  
  
Theresa couldn't believe what she was hearing.  
  
"Look, I just don't want you to get hurt. You're too important to me. I would rather die than let anyone take advantage of you." He looked into her eyes.  
  
"Oh my god," Theresa slowly smiled, staring into Ethan's deeply concerned eyes. "You want to protect me."  
  
"Yes," he sighed, relieved that she understood him.  
  
"You want to protect me, because you still love me." She threw herself into his arms. "Oh Ethan! I knew that this would happen! I knew that you would see we were meant to be together! Now, you're making up all this stuff about Fox, so that I would not fall in love with him. But don't worry Ethan I love you! I've always loved you! I'm so happy that you forgive me!"  
  
Theresa knew that everyone in the room was staring at them, but she didn't care. Ethan was hers again, and she wanted the world to know it.  
  
"You think what I told you was a lie?" Ethan looked at her amazed. "Theresa, it's the truth! I didn't just make that stuff up!"  
  
"Ethan, it's ok. You can stop now! I told you that I loved you, you don't have to do this anymore! We can be together now!" She assured him.  
  
"Dammit Theresa!" He yelled. "Why do you have to be so dense? Why can't you just listen to me?"  
  
Theresa stared at Ethan stunned. She suddenly felt as though the entire room filled with darkness as he continued.  
  
"I have told you millions of times, that we can never be together. Yet, you can never accept that. Theresa you lied to me time after time. There were many opportunities where you could have told me the truth, but you chose not to. You continuously lied to me over and over again. You know how important trust is to me in a relationship. There is no way that a relationship can continue if there is no trust. When will you understand that?"  
  
Ethan watched as the tears poured down Theresa's face, but knew she had to hear this.  
  
"You can tell me that you love me as many times as you want. And trust me, I know that you do. But that does not change the fact that I cannot trust you. We can NEVER be together Theresa. Please, just understand that."  
  
Theresa closed her eyes and tried to block out the horrible words that were coming from Ethan's mouth, but she knew she couldn't. As the heavy tears poured down her face, she looked around the room at all the faces staring back at her. She felt completely humiliated and she wished that the ground would just open and swallow her up.  
  
How could Ethan say those things? She thought as she felt the room start to spin. How could he embarrass me like this? How could—. Suddenly she realized that everyone was waiting for her to respond. She tried to speak, but no words came out. It was as if her throat had completely dried up. I need to get out of here. She frantically looked around the room for any exit. Finally she saw one.  
  
She pushed passed Ethan and the entire crowd. She didn't even hear Fox call after her. All she knew was that she had to get out of there. She barged through the back doors and ran off into the night.  
  
Fox angrily stared at Ethan.  
  
He walked over to him, before going after Theresa.  
  
"Nice going Ethan! You really know how to kick someone when they're down!" He pushed passed him and attempted to run after her.  
  
Just as he was heading out the door, Gwen grabbed a blanket and handed it to him.  
  
"Here, it's getting pretty chilly out there." She smiled at him. "Just make sure she's ok."  
  
"I will." He grabbed the blanket and rushed out the door.  
  
Theresa ran as fast as she could. The wind blew strong in her tear-stricken face. She finally stopped when she thought she reached a safe distance from the mansion. She breathed in the salty breeze from the ocean and fell to the ground; her dress covered in sand.  
  
"I never want to see you again Ethan!" she cried to the raging waters. "I hope one day you feel the pain that you've caused me!"  
  
Suddenly she heard someone call her name. She was about to get up and start running, afraid that it was Ethan.  
  
"Theresa, wait!" The voice called again.  
  
She reluctantly spun around and saw that it was Fox.  
  
When he finally caught up to her, she through herslef into his open arms.  
  
"Oh my god Fox!" She cried as he tightly held her. "This is not happening!"  
  
He could feel her trembling in his arms as he caressed her hair.  
  
"I hate to tell you this Theresa, but it is happening." He whispered in her ear.  
  
"But why? I could have sworn that Ethan was going to tell me that he loved me!" She drew herself away from him. "I can't believe how stupid I was! God, I even got you to buy me this stupid dress, and he didn't even say anything about it!"  
  
Fox watched her violently attempt to rip the dress to shreds.  
  
"No, Theresa don't!" He fought with her, loosening the dress from her grip.  
  
"He didn't even like my dress," she sadly looked up at him. Fox knew that she just used the dress as a cover up. But deep down inside her heart ached from much more than that.  
  
As she heavily cried into his chest, he had to try hard not to break down himself. He had never felt this way before. Right now, he felt as thought he were feeling her pain along with her and it killed him.  
  
He carefully lifted her chin and smiled at her when her gaze met his.  
  
"If it means anything, I liked your dress." He winked at her trying to make her smile.  
  
When she lightly giggled, he grinned.  
  
"Fox, how do manage to make me laugh when I feel like my whole world is about it crumble?" She looked up at him.  
  
"I don't know." He paused. "I guess it's just that I can't bear to see you unhappy. And since I know that there isn't much that I can do to change what you're going through, I figure that I can at least make you smile, right?"  
  
Theresa just took a moment to stare into his eyes. For the first time, she could see how much he cared for her. She thought back to all the times when he had tried his best to make her laugh. No matter how distraught she was, he was always there to make sure she didn't crumble.  
  
"Oh my gosh," she whispered continuing to look into his eyes. "I can't believe I didn't see this before."  
  
"What?" Fox looked at her confused.  
  
"You love me." She slowly smiled as she realized how he felt about her.  
  
"Yeah," he smiled. "I guess I do."  
  
He never really said it out loud, and part of him didn't even realize it, but it was true. He did love her.  
  
"Oh Fox," she cried, a single tea rolling down her face.  
  
She closed her eyes and felt his lips softly brush against hers. He pulled her close to him as he deepened the kiss with his tongue. Her lips tasted so sweet. He felt as though he could kiss her forever. Theresa let herself completely give in to the warmth of his lips. The feeling of his tongue exploring her mouth filled her with complete bliss.  
  
As the wind blew softly though her hair, everything seemed utterly perfect. She now knew at that very moment that Fox was the one for her. 


	12. A Night of Passion

CH 11-A Night of Passion  
  
"Oh Fox," Theresa whispered.  
  
She completely melted in his arms as he slowly led a trail of kisses down her neck. Closing her eyes, she inhaled his intoxicating scent. His kisses felt so good on her bare skin; she couldn't stop herself from wanting more.  
  
She pulled him to the sandy ground, placing herself directly under him as his lips once again hungrily met hers. She moaned softly as his hands moved lower down her back, playfully tugging at her dress. Theresa had to bite her lip to stop herself from screaming, as she felt his leg lightly brush between her thighs. The pleasure of feeling him so intimately close to her made her head spin. She knew right then and there that she wanted him more than anything.  
  
As if reading her mind, he carefully lifted the bottom of her dress and slid his hand up her thigh. She shivered from the contact but let out a small moan to let him know that she liked it. Fox was just about to make his next move but he stopped. He let out a sigh and rolled from on top of her.  
  
"No, Fox what are you doing? Please don't stop." Theresa begged, trying to pull him back down.  
  
"We shouldn't be doing this." He paused to correct himself. "I shouldn't be doing this."  
  
"What are you talking about?" She tried to look into his eyes, but his gaze would not meet hers.  
  
"You're weak Theresa. You only think you want to make love to me because you're upset about Ethan. I'm not going to take advantage of your vulnerability like this."  
  
Theresa forced him to look at her by tilting up his chin.  
  
"Fox, that's not true. I want you to make love to me. Tonight I realized that my hopes and dreams of Ethan are over. Ever since I met you, you have always been there for me. Even when it was something simple as taking me to a café to talk, you always tried your best to make me happy. That's why I want to be with you tonight, to let you know that I appreciate everything that you've done."  
  
She cradled his face in her hands, and smiled at him.  
  
"Well ok," he goofily grinned, pulling her close to him.  
  
Theresa giggled softly as he once again made his way on top of her, hungrily kissing her mouth. He carefully unhooked the dress from around her neck and slipped it down her slender body, laying her back down on the blanket.  
  
"You are so beautiful," he whispered, brushing his lips over her firm breasts.  
  
Theresa unbuttoned his shirt and ran her hands over his toned chest, arching her back so that he could fit snuggly between her thighs.  
  
"I need you Fox," she softly cried, nibbling on his ear. "I need you now!"  
  
They spent the next few hours making sweet love under the stars. When they had finally stopped, Fox rolled from on top of her and smiled.  
  
"Ok, break time!" He laughed staring down at her.  
  
"That was amazing!" She happily sighed, looking up at the night sky.  
  
"Gee, thanks babe!" He grinned, winking at her.  
  
"You know what I mean," she giggled playfully nudging him. "I'm so glad we made love tonight. I feel so close to you right now."  
  
She snuggled close to him and placed her head on his chest so she could hear his heartbeat.  
  
"Me too." He simply said. He couldn't find the words to describe how happy he was at that moment. He loved her so much, and he was glad that she felt the same way about him.  
  
They quietly held each other, feeling the cool night breeze on their skin.  
  
"Fox?" Theresa finally spoke.  
  
"Hmmm?"  
  
"I'm hungry," she giggled looking up at him.  
  
"You are?" He paused, taking a moment to think. "Alright then, I think I have just the thing to make you happy."  
  
He got out from under the blanket and pulled on his pants, standing up.  
  
"Where you are going?" She asked him, as he made his way around her.  
  
"Don't you worry about that." He bent down and gently kissed her lips. "I'll be right back."  
  
Theresa watched him as he ran down the sandy beach, heading in the direction of the mansion.  
  
------------------------------------------  
  
Fox slipped through the back doors of the mansion, and made his way into the kitchen. He almost jumped when he saw Gwen sitting at the table.  
  
"Gwen, what are you doing here?"  
  
Gwen spun around in her chair and glanced at the doorway.  
  
"Fox! Where have you been?" She immediately got up and walked over to him. "Is Theresa alright?"  
  
"Yeah, Theresa's fine. But what are you still doing here. I just came from the living room and the place is deserted." Fox went over to the fridge to grab some food.  
  
"Yeah, the party sort of died down after Ethan's outburst. Everyone was waiting for you to come back with Theresa, but when you didn't people just started to leave. And plus without the guest of honor, there wasn't really any point to continuing the party."  
  
"I'm sure I'm going to hear it from my mother in the morning. I don't think she would consider running after Theresa a good enough excuse to missing my welcome home party." He chuckled.  
  
"Yeah, well Ivy's never really been fond of Theresa. Come to think of it, in the past I've never really been fond of Theresa. But I'm just glad that we managed to become friends despite our differences. Our love for Ethan really put a wedge between us." Gwen recalled. "But now that I'm with Hank, there's no reason for us to still remain bitter towards one another. Besides, having Theresa as a friend is much better than having her as an enemy."  
  
"You got that right. Ethan told me that things between you two used to be pretty bad." Fox looked over at her.  
  
"Yeah, but like I said I'm glad we're friends now." Gwen paused and looked around the room. "Uh, speaking of Theresa where is she?"  
  
"Oh, I left her back at the beach."  
  
"The beach? What were you guys doing there?" She inquired.  
  
Fox hesitated for a moment. He didn't want to tell Gwen that he and Theresa were making love. He wasn't sure if Theresa wanted to make it public or not.  
  
"Oh, we just talked." He simply said. "She's still really shaken up about this whole Ethan thing. I just thought she could use a friend." He closed the fridge and carried the food to the kitchen door.  
  
"That's so sweet of you Fox. She really could use someone right now. I still can't believe how cruel Ethan was to her tonight." She noticed the food in his hand. "Hey, where are you going with that?"  
  
"It's for Theresa. She said she was getting hungry." He held the door open for her.  
  
"Oh ok. Well when you see her tell her I hope she feels better soon and not to worry too much about Ethan. I'll call her later when she gets home." Gwen called over her shoulder, walking towards the front door. "Good night Fox!"  
  
"Yeah, goodnight Gwen!" He smiled.  
  
He was about to slip out the back doors when something caught his eye.  
  
"Ah-ha!" He grinned, holding up the expensive bottle of champagne. "Just what I needed." He grabbed two glasses and slipped through the sliding doors.  
  
-------------------------------------------  
  
Theresa laid back down on the blanket and breathed in the cool night breeze. She still couldn't believe that she had just made love to Fox. He was such a sweetheart; so caring and understanding. She just couldn't understand why it had taken her so long to realize that he was the one for her.  
  
She smiled and closed her eyes, trying to imagine his warm lips against hers.  
  
"Hey, hey don't fall asleep babe!" She suddenly heard his voice.  
  
"I wasn't." She grinned, sitting up. "In fact I was just trying to imagine you kissing me."  
  
"Well why imagine when that can easily become a reality?" He winked, placing a kiss on her lips.  
  
"Mmmm," she mumbled grinning. "What did you bring me?"  
  
Fox reached behind his back and pulled out the plate of chocolate-drizzled strawberries.  
  
Theresa's face lit up at the sight of her favourite dessert.  
  
He laughed at her expression, as he squeezed a drop of whip cream on the strawberry.  
  
"Open wide beautiful!" He grinned, bringing the strawberry to Theresa's mouth.  
  
"Mmmm," she smiled taking a bite. "I love you!"  
  
Fox laughed and brought her face to his, kissing her lips.  
  
He poured the champagne into the two glasses and handed one to her.  
  
"Let's make a toast," he smiled. "To a new beginning filled with lots of love—and strawberries."  
  
"Oh, yes! Lots and lots of strawberries!" Theresa giggled, bringing her glass to his.  
  
"To us!" 


	13. New Discoveries

CH 12-New Discoveries  
  
"Hey girls, lets sit here!" Theresa called to Whitney, Gwen and Sheridan.  
  
The four of them had decided to spend the whole day shopping at the mall. It was actually intended to be a treat for Theresa. The girls thought she could use a day of fun after what happened with her and Ethan the night before.  
  
"My feet are killing me!" Whitney complained. "Remind me to buy some flip- flops at the next shoe store we stop in."  
  
"Well I told you not to wear those shoes Whit, but you didn't listen to me." Sheridan chuckled, sitting down next to her.  
  
"I am starving." Gwen announced, looking around the mall at the different food stores. "I could go for a nice juicy hamburger right now."  
  
"Oh yeah, that does sound good." Sheridan agreed.  
  
As the girls decided what to eat, Theresa silently thought about her wonderful boyfriend. She still couldn't believe that she and Fox had made love the night before. It was the most magical night of her life, and now that they were a couple there would be many more like it.  
  
"Theresa?" The sound of Whitney's voice brought her back to reality.  
  
"Yeah?" She looked up at her friend's worried expression.  
  
"You've been really quiet. You're not still worrying about Ethan are you honey?"  
  
"I'm ok." Theresa smiled at her friends.  
  
They had no idea that she wasn't thinking about Ethan at all. In fact it was his half brother that had her mind so occupied.  
  
"Oh Theresa, you don't have to pretend around us." Gwen sincerely looked at her friend. "We know that last night could not have been very easy for you."  
  
"Yeah, I still can't believe how cruel Ethan was." Sheridan added. "Of all the years that I've known him, I have never seen him act so heartless as he was last night. It was as if he was a completely different person."  
  
"You're right," Theresa admitted. "What Ethan said to me really hurt. In fact, it almost killed me. I'm just really glad that Fox was around. He made me feel a lot better."  
  
"You and Fox have been spending a lot of time together." Whitney commented, taking a bite of her hamburger.  
  
"Well, he's been really supportive throughout everything that's happened. He's really sweet and caring. It's almost hard to believe that he's a Crane, no offence Sheridan." Theresa gave her an apologetic smile.  
  
"Oh, none taken. I for one know how cold and selfish my family can be. I mean, look at all the times my own father tried to break up your brother and me?" Sheridan frowned. "But thank goodness the love that Luis and I share is as strong as it is. There is no way that Alistair can break us up now."  
  
"But I always remember Ethan telling me that Fox was just as heartless as Alistair and Julian." Gwen recalled. "Is that true Sheridan?"  
  
"I couldn't really tell you. Even though Fox is my nephew, I really don't know much about him. Julian and Ivy had him sent off to boarding school at such an early age, so I didn't spend as much time with him as I did with Ethan. All I know is that he always felt like the black sheep in comparison to Ethan. And because of that he was always sort of the more bitter brother." Sheridan told them.  
  
"Well he's obviously changed." Theresa abruptly interrupted. "Ever since this whole ordeal with Ethan, Fox has done nothing but try and comfort me, and he's succeeded. I honestly feel that if it weren't for him, I would have crumbled to a million pieces by now."  
  
They all just looked at her, shocked by her defensive reaction.  
  
"We're sorry Theresa, we didn't mean to bad-talk him." Gwen stared at her. "But you're right, Fox has changed. He's definitely one of the few good Cranes."  
  
Whitney smiled in agreement but slowly frowned at something in the far distance.  
  
"That's just disgusting," she mumbled, as the others followed her gaze.  
  
Two tables away, a couple was heavily making out. The girl was practically lying on the table as her boyfriend continued to passionately kiss her in front of everyone in the entire mall.  
  
"That's something that should be done in the privacy of a bedroom." Whitney rolled her eyes.  
  
"Oh c'mon Whit. Are you telling me that you and Chad have never gotten caught up in your passion publicly?" Theresa suspiciously asked her best friend.  
  
"Absolutely not!" Whitney denied, noticing the smirks on her friends' faces.  
  
"I feel a girl-talk coming on!" Sheridan excitedly rubbed her hands together.  
  
The others giggled as Whitney embarrassedly hid her face.  
  
"Ok, fine!" She gave up. "There was this one time when Chad and I made love in his recording studio. We got so caught up in everything, we didn't even notice that I had accidentally pressed the 'on-air' button and we were recording our heated moment the entire time."  
  
"Oh my god!" Gwen laughed. "But that's nothing. One time, Hank and I were crazily making out and one thing led to another. Before I knew it, we had ripped off each other's clothes and made passionate love on the couch in the police office. We were so afraid that Chief Bennett would walk in and catch us, but thank goodness we had the entire office to ourselves that night."  
  
The girls started to laugh uncontrollably, but Sheridan waved her hands in the air.  
  
"That was good, but I'm sure I can beat them all." She smiled. "There was this one night when I decided to sneak Luis into the Crane mansion to have a late-night romantic swim in the pool. We spent the entire time making sweet love until father heard the commotion and came in. Luis had to hold his breath under the water while I tried to convince father that I was the only one in the pool. It took forever, but eventually he believed me and left. Poor Luis was purple by the time he came up for air. I had never been so sacred in my entire life!"  
  
They all giggled at Sheridan's bold story, as Whitney kept a close eye on Theresa.  
  
"I bet I know where Theresa's craziest place was," she finally announced.  
  
"Where?" Theresa looked at her friend skeptically.  
  
"On the very public beach with Ethan on the night before your wedding."  
  
They all held their breaths and waited for Theresa's reaction, knowing that the statement would most likely make her uncomfortable. But to their surprise, she busted out laughing at Whitney's accurate guess.  
  
"You're right Whit! That was defiantly the craziest place that I have ever made love." She admitted bashfully.  
  
"I'd have to agree. The beach is quite a public place." Sheridan grinned. "I jut can't believe that Ethan agreed to go along with it."  
  
'That just proves why Ethan is not a Crane." Gwen added. "I can't picture any of the Crane men making love on a public beach. They'd probably be too concerned about the tabloids getting a photo of their naked rears and posting it in the newspaper."  
  
They all started laughing as Theresa once again suddenly interrupted.  
  
"Well Fox did!" She proudly announced, but took it back when she realized what she said.  
  
"How would you know?" Sheridan asked.  
  
When Theresa didn't answer, they all looked at her suspiciously.  
  
"Theresa?" Whitney slowly began. "Is there something that you're not telling us?"  
  
Theresa bit her bottom lip, knowing that she backed herself up into a corner.  
  
"Ok, you have to promise to keep this between the four of us." She looked at them, smiling at their interested faces.  
  
She took a deep breath and closed her eyes.  
  
"Fox and I slept together last night...on the beach." She blurted out, afraid to open her eyes.  
  
When she did, they all were staring at her with open mouths.  
  
"You guys did what?" Gwen shrieked.  
  
"Oh my god!" Sheridan happily squealed.  
  
"Last night?" Whitney looked at her shocked.  
  
"I know!" Theresa giggled at their reactions. "I still can't believe it myself!"  
  
"I didn't even know you guys liked each other that way," Gwen sat back in her chair. "But what about Ethan? Have you really just forgotten about him?"  
  
"Well no, I don't think I could ever do that." Theresa seriously looked at them. "Ethan will always have a special part in my heart. It's just that now Fox has more than that. He has my heart, my soul...my everything! I just love him so much."  
  
She looked up at their teary-eyes and almost laughed.  
  
"Awwwww!" They all sang in unison. "That is so sweet!"  
  
They spent the rest of the afternoon laughing and talking about their lovers. It was the most fun that they had in a long time.  
  
----------------------------------  
  
Fox opened the door to the mansion as he came home from his morning jog.  
  
Ever since he woke up, all he could do was think about Theresa. She was finally his and the thought of it made him smile. In fact he couldn't stop smiling! He was honestly and truly happy.  
  
As he drank the last bit of his water, he glanced into the living room and noticed Ethan sitting on the couch.  
  
"Well, if it isn't the most cruelest guy in the world!" He announced coming into the room.  
  
Ethan didn't respond. Instead he just let out a heavy sigh and continued with what he was doing.  
  
"What's the matter Ethan? Aren't you familiar with that title? Or did you forget the way you heartlessly acted last night?" He mockingly asked him.  
  
"Go away Fox, I don't need this right now," he mumbled.  
  
"No, I won't go away!" Fox angrily yelled at him. "You've hurt Theresa in the worst way possible! I honestly don't understand why, but she loved you! I've had to listen to her tell me countless times about how much you mean to her, and look what you do. You basically told her last night that you don't give a shit about her. How can you live with yourself man?"  
  
Ethan finally looked up at Fox, revealing his red and swollen eyes.  
  
"You think I enjoyed doing that?" His voice shook as he talked. "You could never understand why I did what I did."  
  
"Well then enlighten me, oh wise half-brother of mine!" Fox challenged him.  
  
"Theresa means the world to me! I would rather die than see anything bad happen to her!" Ethan yelled.  
  
"So than why are you hurting her?" Fox yelled back.  
  
"I didn't mean to! You just don't understand Fox...I—" He suddenly began coughing violently.  
  
"Ethan?" Fox asked concerned.  
  
He worriedly watched as Ethan continued to cough uncontrollably, grabbing his stomach in pain. He fell to the ground as he gasped for air, still maintaining his dreadful cough.  
  
Fox cursed underneath his breath and ran into the kitchen for a glass of water. When he returned, Ethan was hunched over and still violently coughing. When he saw Fox with the glass of water, he reached for it and drew his other hand away from his mouth. Fox watched in horror as drops of blood stained the inside of Ethan's palm.  
  
When he finally calmed down, he placed the glass beside him and tried to control his breathing.  
  
"Jesus, Ethan are you ok?" Fox looked at his half brother worriedly. "We need to get you to the hospital!"  
  
He was about to get up, but Ethan weakly grabbed his leg.  
  
"No Fox! I'm fine," he whispered.  
  
"You are not fine man! I just saw blood on your hand!" Fox watched as Ethan rubbed his palm on his shirt.  
  
"No, don't worry. I'm fine!" He braced his head to the wall. "It's just that sometimes my throat gets really dry. But it's nothing, I swear."  
  
Fox stared at him in disbelief.  
  
"Are you sure?"  
  
"Yes. I'm fine." He assured him. His breathing was much more controlled now.  
  
"Alright. Well I'm going to go upstairs and take a shower. Call me if anything else happens." Fox kept his eye on Ethan's palm.  
  
"Sure, you go ahead." He motioned for Fox to go upstairs.  
  
Fox slowly began walking up the stairs, but once again turned back to look at his half brother.  
  
Why do I have the feeling that you're not telling me everything Ethan? He thought to himself. Why am I getting the strong feeling that things are a lot more serious than you're letting on? 


	14. A Familiar Face

CH 13- A Familiar Face  
  
Theresa ran a hand through Fox's hair as she continued to passionately kiss him. He gently laid her down on the couch, and moaned softly hoping that their lips would never part. She giggled as he slowly moved his lips down her neck.  
  
"Mmmm Fox, you're such a great kisser." She smiled as she massaged the back of his neck.  
  
"Thank you darling," he said it between kisses. "But you're the one that motivates me."  
  
"Oh really?" She grinned, bringing his face close to hers. "You're so sweet."  
  
He looked into her eyes and kissed her lips once more, before sitting up.  
  
"I'm so glad you decided to drop by Fox." She smiled, climbing onto his lap. "Spending time with you is like heaven."  
  
"Well I almost didn't come. I tried calling you earlier and your mom said you went out."  
  
"Oh yeah, me and the girls decided to go shopping this afternoon." She grinned, remembering how much fun they had. "We spent the entire time laughing and talking. It was great!"  
  
"What did you talk about?" He suspiciously asked, noticing the twinkle in her eye.  
  
"Oh nothing much," she innocently smiled. "Just about the boys that we love so much."  
  
"Well that's always a good topic." He winked at her.  
  
"Yup, a very good topic!" She giggled, kissing his lips. "So what did you do while I was gone?"  
  
"Well, first I went for my usual morning jog and then when I came home, I had a nice little talk with Ethan."  
  
"What?" She frowned at him. "You guys didn't fight did you?"  
  
"Well not too much. I just let him know that I didn't approve of the way that he treated you last night. He was cruel and selfish and I told him that I wasn't going to let him hurt you anymore."  
  
"Honey, I appreciate you standing up for me. But I don't want you and Ethan to fight anymore. You guys are brothers and you shouldn't let some girl come between you two." She seriously looked at him.  
  
"Alright first of all, we're half-brothers and second of all you're not just some girl. You are Theresa Lopez-Fitzgerald; the girl that I am hopelessly in love with. I'm not just going to sit around while others hurt you. You don't deserve it and I won't let it happen."  
  
She was about to say something but he kissed her lips to stop her.  
  
"I guess there's nothing I can say to change your mind huh?"  
  
"Nope," he shook his head, lightly brushing a strand of hair away from her face. "Besides, I don't think you have to worry about Ethan and I fighting any time soon. From what I witnessed, he can barely stand up much less throw a punch."  
  
"What do you mean? Is something wrong with him?" She worriedly asked.  
  
"Well that's the thing. He's not really telling me much."  
  
Fox let out a sigh and told Theresa about the several times he had found Ethan in the midst of his dreadful coughing catastrophes.  
  
"Oh my god," She sadly looked off into the distance.  
  
"Yeah, and this time he coughed up blood." Fox looked into her concerned eyes.  
  
"Blood!" She looked at him terrified. "Oh my god! Why didn't you take him to the hospital?"  
  
"I tried, but he insisted that he was ok. In fact, he pleaded with me not to worry." Fox shook his head, as he remembered Ethan's words.  
  
"I don't understand. If he's sick, why would he keep it a secret?" She stared at him confused.  
  
"That's the thing Theresa, I don't think he even realizes how sick he is. But I don't have a good feeling about it. I'm really worried about him."  
  
He leaned his head back and closed his eyes. When he opened them back up, Theresa was admiringly looking at him, smiling.  
  
"What?" He asked her, a tiny smile forming at the corners of his mouth.  
  
"You are so amazing," she looked into his eyes. "Wasn't it just two minutes ago, you were furious with Ethan for the way that he treated me? Now, here you are deeply concerned about him."  
  
"Well Theresa, I'm not cold-hearted. Like you said, he's my 'brother'. I can't just ignore the fact that he may be sick."  
  
"I know," she wrapped her arms around his neck. "I just find it really sexy."  
  
He pulled her closer to him and smiled.  
  
"Well why don't you show me how sexy you find me?" He winked at her.  
  
Without further instructions, she leaned in and softly brushed her lips against his. As he rubbed the small of her back, she deepened the kiss even more, softly biting his bottom lip.  
  
"Mmm," he moaned feeling a little pain. "Getting freaky are we?"  
  
She laughed as he flipped her onto her back, laying her once more on the couch. He was about to take it a step further when they heard the doorbell ring.  
  
"Argggh!" He groaned. "Maybe they'll go away."  
  
He continued to passionately kiss her, but the doorbell rang once more.  
  
"I think I should go get that." Theresa mumbled.  
  
She reluctantly slipped from underneath him and ran to the door. When she opened it, she almost screamed with shock.  
  
"Paloma!" She shrieked, staring at the pretty young girl on her front porch. "Is it really you?"  
  
"Theresa!" The girl happily squealed, pulling her big sister in for a hug. "It's been so long!"  
  
"Oh my gosh! I can't believe you're here!" Theresa closed the door behind her and held her sister at arms length.  
  
She took a moment to look at her. It had been over seventeen years since the last time they had seen each other. Her mother had sent Paloma to live with her aunt and uncle in Mexico when she was only a year old. At that time, her father disappeared and Pilar didn't have enough money to keep her with the rest of the family. For so long, Theresa had wished that she would come home and now she finally had.  
  
"Paloma, you have grown so much! My baby sister is no longer a baby anymore!" Theresa said, with tears in her eyes.  
  
"Nope! I'm eighteen now, and a lot has changed about me!" She grinned, spinning around.  
  
"I see that!" Theresa laughed. "We have so much to catch up on!"  
  
Suddenly she heard Fox clear his throat.  
  
"Excuse me ladies, I don't mean to interrupt this joyous occasion, but could someone fill me in please?" He smiled.  
  
"Oh, I'm sorry." Theresa giggled. "Paloma, this is Fox. He is a very very good friend of the family. And Fox, this is Paloma my baby sister!"  
  
Fox laughed as the two girls happily embraced one another and excitedly jumped around.  
  
"Women," he smirked.  
  
"Hey," Theresa playfully poked him in his side. "Can you blame me for being happy to see my sister?"  
  
Fox just smiled and winked at her.  
  
"Where's mama? I can't wait to see her!" Paloma grinned.  
  
"Oh, she and Miguel went over to Sheridan's cottage to spend some time with her and Luis. You remember Sheridan, don't you?"  
  
"Yes, I think I remember talking to her on the phone once when I called to speak to Luis from Mexico." She recalled. "I'm going to go over and see them."  
  
"Alright, but do you know how to get there?" Theresa asked her.  
  
"Well no, but it can't be hard. Besides, I'm sure the cab driver knows where it is. He's still parked outside. I told him to wait incase no one was home."  
  
Theresa looked out the window and saw that the cab was indeed still out there.  
  
"Ok, well you go then. But when you come back, you and I have some serious talking to do!" She gave Paloma one more hug before opening the door for her.  
  
"You bet!" She squealed. "I'll see you later sis!"  
  
Theresa closed the door behind her and bounced back to the couch.  
  
"I cannot believe that my sister is finally home!" She excitedly shrieked.  
  
Fox laughed and pulled her into his lap.  
  
"Well I'm glad because I love seeing you so happy." He wrapped his arms around her waist.  
  
"You know, my sister coming home isn't the only thing that can make me happy," she mischievously grinned at him.  
  
"Oh really? Well what else could there be?"  
  
She leaned in and whispered something in his ear, making him smile almost immediately.  
  
"Well that can easily be arranged!" He smirked, scooping her up in his arms.  
  
He carried her to the stairs as she giggled loudly.  
  
"Fox! What if my family comes home?" She smiled looking into his eyes.  
  
"Then I guess we'll just have to be really quiet." He winked at her, kissing her neck.  
  
"Well, I can't make any promises," she mumbled, as he kissed her lips, heading around the corner to her bedroom.  
  
(A/N: We hope you guys enjoyed that chapter. But just to let you know in our story, Paloma is a lot closer in age to Theresa than she is in the actual soap opera. She's going to be eighteen years old, instead of her much younger age on Passions. There's a lot more twists to come, so please keep the reviews coming!!) 


	15. Surprise Visits

CH 14- Surprise Visits  
  
Theresa sighed and glanced at the clock by her bed.  
  
3:45 pm  
  
"Oh my god, I am never going to finish this paper for school." She whispered to herself.  
  
She was supposed to have finished it by now, but every time she tried something always came up; first her problems with Ethan and then dealing with the catastrophe at Fox's party. She had even made up her mind to stay at home all day yesterday to finally complete it. But Whitney, Sheridan, and Gwen had insisted on taking her out for an afternoon at the mall. Then Fox had come over and well she definitely didn't have the energy to do anything after that.  
  
Theresa smiled to herself as she remembered their night together.  
  
She didn't even get to spend the quality time with Paloma that she had promised. By the time she and the rest of the family had gotten home, Theresa was out like a light.  
  
"And now it's 3:45 in the afternoon, and I've gotten nothing done!" She let out a heavy sigh and stared at her blank computer screen.  
  
She rubbed her temples as she felt a slight headache developing.  
  
"Come on Theresa think!" She silently ordered herself. "You have got to finish this!"  
  
She sat there for a few minutes and stared at the screen, almost hoping that the words would magically appear.  
  
Suddenly she heard a light knock on her door.  
  
"Come in!" She called.  
  
"Hey sis, you busy?" Paloma poked her head in the doorway.  
  
"I'm never too busy for my baby sister," Theresa winked at her.  
  
"Hey c'mon sis," Paloma frowned at her. "I'm not a baby anymore. I'm eighteen years old and that's far from being a little kid."  
  
"I know, I'm just teasing." Theresa made a face. "It's just that the last time I remember seeing you, you were this tall!"  
  
She drew her hand down to her knee level and smiled up at her.  
  
"I guess it has been a long time," Paloma laughed flopping on the bed. "Well now is our chance to catch up!"  
  
She patted a spot in front of her for her sister to sit.  
  
Theresa smiled but slightly frowned, looking back at her still blank screen.  
  
"Arggghh! I guess a little break won't do that much harm," she giggled joining Paloma on the bed.  
  
"So what have you been up to?" Paloma asked, grabbing a nearby pillow.  
  
"My gosh!" Theresa laughed. "Where should I begin?"  
  
She started from the beginning and told Paloma everything about her involvement with Ethan. She even told her about the time when Gwen had tried to kill her with a bat! From the time she spilled blue paint on Ethan's head, to his recent discovery of not being a Crane, Theresa told her sister about her entire past with the man that she once loved and still kept dear to her heart. As much as it hurt, she even confessed the part that she played in her and Ethan's sudden breakup. She felt her sister had a right to know about the mistake she had made of keeping Ethan's paternity a secret and allowing Julian to take advantage of her.  
  
"That pig!" Paloma spat. "Papa always use to say that the Cranes were never people to be trusted. Now I know why."  
  
"Yup, and they've done much worst things than what Julian did to me." Theresa seriously looked at her. "That is why you should never get involved with Julian or any of the Cranes. They're just plain poison!"  
  
Paloma nodded obediently but slowly looked up at Theresa with a confused expression her face.  
  
"What is it?" She asked her.  
  
"Well, I'm confused." She paused. "Sheridan's a Crane and Luis is involved with her. And that boy that you introduced to me yesterday, Fox, isn't he a Crane also? How come you're friends with him?"  
  
Theresa bit her bottom lip, knowing that the situation was complicated.  
  
"Well, it doesn't really count for Sheridan. She has always proven to be nothing like the rest of her family. She's loving, caring, and the sweetest person you could ever meet. Besides, you know how much Luis hates the Cranes. Do you actually think that he would be with Sheridan if she weren't such a good person?"  
  
"I guess not!" Paloma giggled. "But what about Fox?"  
  
"Fox," the sound of his name instantly making her smile. "He's definitely one of the good guys. Fox came to Harmony not too long ago, but he has proven on more than one occasion that he is definitely someone to be trusted."  
  
"You two seemed really close when I came by yesterday." She recalled. "So I guess you guys must be really good friends, right?"  
  
Theresa paused and nervously looked in the air. She didn't want to tell Paloma the truth about her and Fox, since no one really knew about their recent involvement. She thought for now it would be best to keep it a secret, knowing that it would most likely come as a shock to everyone.  
  
"Yeah, Fox and I are great friends. He's really funny and sweet. It's sometimes even hard to believe that he's a Crane."  
  
"Well I hope that you and Ethan work out your problems. From the way that you told me about the past that you two shared, it's obvious that you still care for him."  
  
Knowing it in her heart, Theresa just smiled at her.  
  
Suddenly she noticed Paloma's expression change.  
  
"What's wrong?" Theresa worriedly asked her.  
  
"I just suddenly realized how much I missed having a big sister around." Paloma's eyes shone with tears. "When I was in Mexico, I never really had anyone to talk to about boys and love. I mean I still had my friends, but they were all my age and knew as much as I knew, which wasn't that much."  
  
She stared off into the distance and then continued.  
  
"I'm eighteen now, and I've had to learn so much on my own. I just wish that I had a big sister to talk to all those years."  
  
Theresa felt tears run down her face as she looked at her saddened sister.  
  
"Oh Paloma, I'm so sorry that I wasn't there with you."  
  
"There were times when I used to be so angry at mama for sending me to Mexico. I thought that she loved you three more than she loved me. I didn't understand why out of all of us, I had to be the one who got sent away. I didn't want to even come back because I thought nobody in Harmony cared about me."  
  
"Paloma, you know that's not true! We love you very much and we always missed you!" Theresa placed a hand on hers. "There wasn't a day that went by that we never thought about you. We always wished that you were here with us in Harmony."  
  
"I know that now Theresa. But back then I didn't have anyone to tell me otherwise so it was easy for me to think that." Paloma explained.  
  
"Well that thinking stops now!" Theresa pulled her in for a hug. "From now on, we are going to be spending so much time together! We will make up for all the time that we lost."  
  
"Oh, I'm so glad you said that!" Paloma grinned. "Since I've come back, I've been dying to see the sights of Harmony and now you can take me!"  
  
"You mean right now?" Theresa frowned and stared back at her computer. "Oh, Paloma I can't! I have this huge paper to write and if I don't finish it I'm going to fail my class."  
  
"Can't you write it later?" She looked at her with puppy-dog eyes.  
  
Theresa was just about to cry with frustration when she heard her door knock.  
  
"Come in!" She called.  
  
"Hey beautiful, do you want to go for a walk?" Fox poked his handsome head in.  
  
Theresa's face lit up when she saw him.  
  
"Hey you," she smiled. "I'd love to go for a walk with you but I can't right now."  
  
"Why not?" He frowned coming into the room.  
  
"I have this paper to write for my fashion class and if I don't finish it, I have a good chance of failing." She sadly looked up at him.  
  
"Can't you write it later?" He looked at her with the same puppy-dog eyes.  
  
"Oh no, not you too!" She laughed.  
  
She stood up and looked from Fox to Paloma.  
  
"Ok, here's what we'll do. Paloma, you want to see the sights of Harmony right?" She looked over at her. "And Fox, you want to take a walk. Well since I can't go with either of you, why don't you two go together? It'll give you a chance to get to know each other and I can finish my paper!"  
  
They just stood there for a moment and looked at her with blank expressions.  
  
"What's the matter? C'mon it'll be fun!" She grabbed Paloma with one hand and placed the other on Fox's back. "You guys will have a blast, and you can tell me all about it when you get home!"  
  
She didn't even let them respond, as she gently pushed them out the door.  
  
"Have fun!" She smiled as she closed the door behind them.  
  
After a few seconds had passed she poked her head out to make sure they had gone downstairs.  
  
"Finally!" She said out loud, closing the door. "Now maybe I can finish this thing."  
  
She sat down at the computer and almost instantly began typing. After a few minutes, she heard a knock at her door once more.  
  
"Arrggghh!" She reluctantly got up, and turned the knob. "Fox I told you, you will have fu—"  
  
When she opened the door, she almost gasped in shock at the person standing before her.  
  
"Ethan!" 


	16. Ethan

CH 15- Ethan  
  
Theresa almost stopped breathing when she saw Ethan standing in her doorway.  
  
"Ethan, what are you doing here?" She looked at him still shocked.  
  
For a moment he just stood there, staring at her as if he were in a trance.  
  
"Ethan?" She repeated, noticing his uneasiness.  
  
He closed his eyes and shook his head before looking at her again.  
  
"Uh yeah," He fumbled. "Hello Theresa, Pilar let me in."  
  
He barely looked her in the eye as he walked into the room.  
  
"I thought I just saw Fox walking with a girl. Who was that?" He asked her.  
  
"That was Paloma," she smiled.  
  
"No way! She came home? That's terrific! You must be so happy!" He grinned.  
  
"Yeah, I am! I'm still in shock actually. I still have to get used to having a little sister around the house." She lightly laughed, still unsure as to why he was there.  
  
"So how are you? I see you're working on a paper for school. How's that going?" He glanced at her computer and looked up at her.  
  
"It's going good Ethan. Everything is going really well. But there's just one thing that's bothering me. Why are you here?" She blurted out, growing impatient.  
  
At first he just looked at her, taken back by her eagerness.  
  
"I um, just came by to see how you were." He stared out her window.  
  
Theresa suddenly felt herself get really angry.  
  
"You came to see how I was?" She mockingly repeated him. "Well I'm fine Ethan! I just have this really huge paper that I have to write and I don't have time to waste. So if that's all that you wanted then maybe you should just go!"  
  
"I wanted to say I'm sorry!" He blurted out, still not looking at her.  
  
"What?" She softly asked him, seeing the pain that he was in.  
  
"I wanted to apologize to you Theresa." He took a deep breath as his voice started to quiver. "I feel terrible for how I've been treating you these last couple of weeks. I've been playing with your emotions; setting you up and then striking you down. It's not fair. You don't deserve it."  
  
"What are you saying Ethan?" She looked at him as she felt her heart beat faster in her chest.  
  
"I'm trying to say that I lo—" He began but stopped.  
  
"What?" She came over to him and placed a hand on his arm. "What is it?"  
  
He stared down at her hand on his arm and then looked into her eyes.  
  
"I've been lying to you this entire time." He whispered. "I've been making you think that I don't care about you! I've been telling you over and over that we can never be together because I don't trust you, when the truth is I don't care about any of that! I don't care that you kept my paternity a secret! I don't care that you didn't tell me about going to Bermuda! My God, I don't even care that you slept with Julian! I don't care about any of that Theresa because I still love you!"  
  
Theresa just stood there as her ears still rang from the four words that she had been longing to hear for so long.  
  
"I still love you Theresa. I never did stop and I never will!" He felt the tears run down his face as he stared into her eyes. "I was just so determined to stand by my personal values of having trust in a relationship that I let it blind me. I let my stubbornness get in the way of the one thing that's always made me completely happy; you. I was a fool to let you slip away. You're everything to me. I need you."  
  
He pulled her close to him, as he smelled the sweet fragrance of her hair.  
  
"I love you Theresa," he whispered in her ear. "I love you so much!"  
  
Theresa felt as though she could fly. For so long she had waited for Ethan to love her again and now he did.  
  
"Oh Ethan," she smiled looking into his beautiful brown eyes. "I lo—"  
  
She was about to finish her sentence but something stopped her.  
  
"My gosh," she whispered. "What am I doing?"  
  
She once more looked into his eyes, anger slowly rising in her.  
  
"You lied to me!" She spat. "You made me think that you never loved me!"  
  
"I know Theresa, and I'm sor—"  
  
"No!" She interrupted him. "You don't even realize the pain that you've caused me! If it weren't for the support from my family and friends, I would have crumbled into depression by now!"  
  
She furiously paced back and fourth.  
  
"I begged you to forgive me! I looked at you with tears in my eyes, pleading with you to take me back. But you completely ignored the tears and you continued to blame me! I tried to tell you that I only did what I did because I loved you and you told me that none of it mattered because you didn't trust me. Do you know how that feels? It's terrible! To know that you cannot be trusted by someone so close to you; it's unbearable. Now you think that I'm just suppose to forget all of that because you tell me that you love me? What about all the times when I told you that I loved you? You didn't care! So why the hell should I?"  
  
Theresa felt her whole body shake and she struggled to remain calm.  
  
"I'm sorry Theresa. But you have to understand that I didn't mean to hurt you!" He pleaded, starting to breath heavy.  
  
"I don't care Ethan!" She yelled, noticing him become unsteady on his feet. "You did hurt me! That's not just going to go away!"  
  
"Please Theresa—Please don't—" He suddenly began coughing.  
  
At first she just stood there, but as his coughing slowly turned into wheezing she grew more and more concerned.  
  
"Ethan?" She slowly approached him. "Ethan, are you ok?"  
  
He maintained his horrendous cough, as he struggled to keep his balance. Just as he was about to collapse, Theresa rushed to his side. Beads of perspiration poured down his face as he struggled to control his breathing. She helped him lay down on her bed, as she wiped the sweat from his brow. She ran to the bathroom to get a wet cloth but when she returned he was fast asleep.  
  
"Ethan?" She whispered, but he didn't answer.  
  
She stared at him; his breathing was much more rhythmic.  
  
She looked around her room and realized that it was finally quiet. Looking back at Ethan, she sighed.  
  
"Well, he doesn't look too bad. Maybe he just needs to sleep it off." She whispered, walking over to her computer. "Maybe now I can finally finish my paper."  
  
She sat down and attempted to continue where she left off.  
  
After a few hours, she successfully completed it. She stapled the corner and placed it on her desk.  
  
"Finally," she approvingly smiled.  
  
She closed her eyes and yawned, stretching in her chair.  
  
"I am so tired!" She said to herself, spinning around.  
  
It was then that she realized that Ethan was still in her room.  
  
She slowly approached her bed and knelt down beside him.  
  
"Ethan?" She softly called. Except for a tiny stir, he barely moved.  
  
Suddenly she remembered Fox telling her how sick he thought Ethan was.  
  
"Maybe he should just stay here. I wouldn't want anything to happened to him on his way home." She sighed.  
  
She changed into her nightgown and sat on the other side of her bed. She did feel a little strange with him sleeping beside her but she didn't want to wake him.  
  
"Besides," she whispered. "It's not like I've never slept in the same bed as him before."  
  
She slipped underneath the covers, and closed her eyes.  
  
"Goodnight Ethan," she whispered. "Sweet dreams."  
  
----------  
  
Theresa smiled as she felt a warm hand lightly brush her cheek.  
  
"So beautiful," the voice whispered.  
  
She opened her eyes and grinned at the handsome face lying beside her.  
  
"Fox," she smiled. "What's the matter baby? You can't sleep?"  
  
"Nope," he softly kissed her lips. "Not until I can make love to you."  
  
"Mmmm, well then your wish is my command." She giggled as he deepened the kiss, mounting on top of her.  
  
He gently lifted her nightgown and kissed the inside of her thigh, making her softly moan. Wrapping her legs around him, he tightened his grip on the pillow as he whispered softly in her ear.  
  
"I want you so bad."  
  
"Then make love to me," she whispered back, biting the lobe of his ear. "Make love to me now!"  
  
-----------  
  
Ethan continued to make love to her, as he kissed her soft and beautiful skin.  
  
"Theresa," he whispered slipping deeper into her. "You feel so good!"  
  
He felt her dig her nails into his back as she moaned with pleasure.  
  
"I love you," she whispered.  
  
"I love you too," he whispered back.  
  
Sweat poured down his shoulders as he fought to hold on. But the pleasure weakened him, as he let himself go.  
  
"Oh Theresa!" He yelled, feeling complete bliss.  
  
"Oh Fox!"  
  
------------  
  
"Fox?" Ethan jumped out of his sleep and confusedly stared down at her. "Did you just say Fox?"  
  
"What?" Theresa mumbled as she slowly opened her eyes. When she saw who stared back at her, she almost screamed. "Oh my god! Ethan!"  
  
She quickly drew the covers up to her neck, as her breathing started to rapidly increase.  
  
"What just happened?" She stared at him terrified.  
  
"We made love I think." He groggily muttered.  
  
"What?" She shrieked. "No!! Oh my god, I thought you were Fox!"  
  
Ethan stared at her in disbelief.  
  
"No, that can't be." He rubbed his eyes confused. "Y-You told me to make love to you."  
  
"I thought you were Fox!" She cried. "Oh my god what have I done?"  
  
"But Theresa I-I love you!" He began to say, feeling extremely light headed. "What are you saying?"  
  
"I can't believe this!" Theresa could feel her whole body shaking. "This was a mistake!"  
  
"A-A Mistake?" He repeated dumbfounded. "No, you told me to—"  
  
Before Theresa could say another word, Ethan began to wheeze violently.  
  
"Oh no, not again!" She cried. "Ethan calm down! Please just calm down!"  
  
Suddenly she noticed his face turn extremely pale as he continued to heavily wheeze.  
  
Terrified, Theresa tried to sit him up, but his body just got heavier and heavier.  
  
"Ethan sit up!" She frantically yelled. "Please!"  
  
All of a sudden, he collapsed in her arms, his body completely motionless.  
  
"Ethan!" She yelled.  
  
No response.  
  
"Ethan!" she cried once more.  
  
No response.  
  
"Oh my god!" Theresa gently laid him down on the pillow and climbed out of the bed, slipping on her nightgown.  
  
She hysterically ran across the room and picked up the phone. Her fingers rapidly shook and she dialed the number.  
  
"911 Emergency, how can I help you?" The operator answered.  
  
"Hello? —I need an ambulance right away! Please hurry!" 


	17. I'll Always Be Here

CH 16- I'll Always Be Here  
  
Theresa ran behind the paramedics as they burst through the emergency doors of the Harmony hospital. She could feel her entire body trembling as they wheeled Ethan's stretcher into one of the vacant rooms.  
  
"He has to be ok. Please God, let him be ok!" She worriedly whispered to herself.  
  
Suddenly Dr. Russell appeared and immediately began inquiring information from the paramedics. Theresa frantically ran up to her, tears once more running down her face.  
  
"Dr Russell, you have to save Ethan! I don't know what's wrong with him, but you have to save him!" She cried.  
  
"Ok Theresa, calm down. I can only attempt to save Ethan if I know what happened. So, what can you tell me?"  
  
"I-I don't know! He was coughing and then he began to wheeze! I tried to tell him to calm down but he just kept wheezing! Before I knew it, he collapsed and I called 911!" Theresa hysterically explained.  
  
"Alright, I need you to stay here while I go in to check on Ethan. I'll be out as soon as I can to let you know what's happening." Dr. Russell placed a comforting hand on her shoulder before heading back into the room.  
  
Theresa's hands shook as she pressed them against the glass, peering into the room. Her heart continued to beat rapidly as she watched the doctors hook Ethan up to several machines. The sight of his pale deadly like face made her stomach hurt. She quickly turned her head not being able to watch any longer.  
  
"Theresa!" She suddenly heard someone call her name.  
  
She looked up and saw Gwen, Whitney and Chad running down the hall towards her.  
  
"Oh my god honey are you ok? We came as soon as I got your message." Whitney embraced her friend. "How's Ethan?"  
  
"I don't know yet. Your mom just went in to see how he was." She glanced back at the window.  
  
"Oh, Theresa. You must be in so much pain right now!" Gwen consoled her. "What happened?  
  
Theresa wiped away a tear from her swollen eye, as she looked up at her friends.  
  
"Well, Ethan came over to talk to me earlier and I got upset with him. He was telling me how much he still loved me and how sorry he was for the way that he treated me at Fox's party. Only instead of being happy, I completely yelled at him and got upset." She said in between tears. "I was just so angry because I fell like he was just playing with my emotions. One minute he's telling me that we can never be together and the next he's professing his love for me! I just—I just don't understand."  
  
She turned away from them and walked over to the window, painfully staring at Ethan's lifeless body.  
  
"Anyways, I must have really upset him because he started to cough really violently. Soon the coughing turned into wheezing and before I knew it he had collapsed in my arms."  
  
She closed her eyes, knowing that she had left out a vital part of her story. No one could ever find out that she had slept with Ethan. It was a mistake and it should not have happened. Even if she had to lie to her loved ones, she would make sure that no one knew. Especially Fox.  
  
"Where is my son? Ethan!"  
  
Theresa's thoughts were interrupted by Sam and Ivy's screams as they ran down the corridor.  
  
Sam placed a comforting hand on Theresa's shoulders as Ivy ran to the window.  
  
"Honey what happened to Ethan?" He asked her.  
  
"I don't know Chief Bennett. I was just talking to him and he began having one of his coughing attacks—"  
  
"Coughing attacks? Ethan's never had such a thing!" Ivy interrupted her. "If anything is wrong with my son, it's all your fault!"  
  
Sam held back Ivy as she lunged at Theresa.  
  
"This is not the time for this!" He yelled. "There's no use in pointing the finger at anyone! Right now, Ethan is in there fighting for his life and neither of us no what is wrong with him. So why don't we just take this time to pray that he is ok instead of killing one another?"  
  
Ivy quieted down reluctantly, keeping her angry stare on Theresa.  
  
A few minutes had passed before Dr Russell finally joined the group.  
  
"Alright everyone," she began, quieting them down. "I have the results of Ethan's current condition."  
  
"What's wrong with him Dr. Russell? Is he going to be ok?" Theresa rushed over to her.  
  
"Well, I've done some tests and from what I found, it doesn't look good." She sadly looked at them. "According to the way that you described Ethan's sudden coughing attacks, it looks like he may have a mild form of a lung cancer called emphysema.  
  
"Cancer?" Ivy frighteningly whispered. "Are you sure?"  
  
"Yes. A person with emphysema shows early symptoms that are quite similar to the ones that Ethan is showing; wheezing, coughing, constant fatigue and the feeling of shortness of breath. Even though this disease is commonly found in smokers, it is not impossible for a non-smoker to develop it."  
  
"Is it fatal?" Sam painfully asked.  
  
"It can be." Dr. Russell sadly responded. "But like any cancer, with lots of treatment it can help to knock it out. The sooner we begin the treatment the better his chances."  
  
"The better his chances?" Ivy repeated. "Of what?"  
  
Dr. Russell concernedly looked at them, the answer written all over her face.  
  
"If we don't begin the treatment as soon as possible, there is a great chance that we may lose him."  
  
Theresa felt as though the wind had been knocked out of her, as she struggled to comprehend what Dr Russell was saying.  
  
"Ethan could die." She whispered to herself, staring into the window.  
  
Even though things weren't the greatest between them, Theresa couldn't imagine her life without him. He had been the man that she loved ever since she was a little girl. She dreamed of the day when they would be husband and wife. Finally her prayers were answered when he admitted his love for her. It was the happiest day of her life. Now there was a chance that she would never see him again.  
  
"No, we can't lose him!" She cried, keeping her stare on his lifeless body.  
  
"Don't worry honey, we wont." Sam came over to her. "How soon can you begin the treatment Eve?"  
  
"As soon as I get his parents consent." Dr. Russell looked at Sam and Ivy.  
  
"Of course Eve." Ivy quickly responded. "You have to save our son."  
  
"Can we see him?" Gwen asked.  
  
"Yes, but very briefly. He's still pretty groggy from the medicine that we gave him." Eve smiled.  
  
Sam and Ivy went in first, as the others sat in the waiting room close by.  
  
Theresa still stood by the window, not being able to tear herself away.  
  
Soon Fox, Paloma, Luis and Sheridan arrived.  
  
"Where's Ethan?" Sheridan worriedly inquired. "Please tell me that he's alright!"  
  
Whitney and Gwen filled them in on the recent news they received from Dr. Russell.  
  
"Oh my gosh!" Sheridan cried. "I've seen Ethan grow up with my very own eyes. I can't imagine him not being with us anymore!"  
  
Luis held her in his arms, as Whitney continued.  
  
"I know Sheridan, it's terrible. Thank god he was at Theresa's when he collapsed. I'd hate to think what would have happened if he hadn't gotten to the hospital in time."  
  
Fox listened intently as Whitney talked.  
  
"Ethan was at Theresa's?" He whispered to himself. "I wonder why?"  
  
He glanced over at her by the window. He just realized that she didn't even look his way since he arrived.  
  
Walking over to her, he could tell that she was deeply hurt by Ethan's condition. Her body was slumped over and her eyes were red and swollen. She looked as though she were in a trance as she gazed through the glass.  
  
"Hey," He gently whispered to her, but she didn't hear him. Her eyelids didn't even move as she kept her glare focused on Ethan's body.  
  
"Theresa?" He said again, this time gently touching her back.  
  
She jumped at the sudden contact, but then looked up at him.  
  
"Fox," she weakly smiled. "Hi, when did you come?"  
  
"Just now." He looked at her. "Are you alright?"  
  
"Not really," she sadly looked back at the window. "Ethan could die."  
  
He heard the grief in her voice and it almost tore him up inside.  
  
"Yeah, Whitney just told us everything." He paused for a moment before he asked his next question. "Theresa?"  
  
"Hmm?" She emotionlessly responded.  
  
"Whitney just mentioned that Ethan was at your house when he collapsed. Why was he over there?" He watched as her whole body tensed up.  
  
Theresa's mind raced as she struggled to come up with an answer for Fox. She slowly turned around and looked up at him. She hated lying to him, but she knew he wouldn't understand if she told him the truth, and she couldn't stand to hurt him in that way.  
  
"Um, he came over to lend me his laptop." She blurted out.  
  
"Laptop? Why?" He asked her.  
  
"Because my computer suddenly wasn't working and I needed something to finish my paper. Thanks goodness Ethan said I could borrow his." She smiled up at him, hoping that he believed her.  
  
"Oh ok." He grinned, not suspecting a thing. "I really hope Ethan is going to be ok."  
  
He carefully slipped his arm around her waist, as they both looked in at Ethan.  
  
"Hey guys," Gwen joined them. "Shouldn't you two be more careful?"  
  
She looked down at Fox's arm and winked at them.  
  
"She knows?" Fox ask Theresa confused.  
  
"Yeah, and so do Sheridan and Whitney." She lightly giggled. "I couldn't help it."  
  
"Hey Fox, do you mind if I steal her away for a few seconds?" Gwen smiled at him.  
  
"Yeah sure, I'm going to go get some coffee. Do you girls want anything?"  
  
They shook they heads as he turned the corner.  
  
Gwen grabbed Theresa's hand and led her to a vacant couch to sit down.  
  
"Are you alright honey?" She looked at her concerned. "You look so distant." "Well, I'm really worried about Ethan."  
  
"We all are. But we just have to pray that the treatments work and that he will make it." She gave her a reassuring smile, but slowly frowned. "Are you sure that's it?"  
  
Theresa looked at her and shook her head.  
  
"No Gwen, that's not the only thing that's bothering me."  
  
"Well what else is there? You know you can tell me anything." She gave her hand a comforting squeeze.  
  
"Ok, but you have to promise to keep this between the two of us." When she swore to secrecy, Theresa continued. "Remember when I told you, Whitney and Chad about Ethan coming over to talk to me? Well, I didn't elaborate on the entire story."  
  
She told Gwen about her and Ethan's argument, them sleeping together and what led him to later on collapse in her arms.  
  
"Oh my gosh." She frowned. "Does Fox know?"  
  
"No, and you can't tell him!" Theresa quickly objected.  
  
"But honey I don't think that's such a good idea." Gwen let out a sigh. "Look, I don't mean to bring up the past, but wasn't it keeping secrets from Ethan that caused you two to break up in the first place? Why would you want to make that same mistake with Fox?"  
  
"Gwen, I don't want to lie to him. But can you honestly see Fox understanding why I slept with his brother? Do you think Hank would understand if you slept with Sam Bennett?"  
  
Gwen made a face and laughed.  
  
"Ok I can safely say that that will never happen. But I see your point. I don't think Hank would like that very much. But that doesn't mean that I would lie to him."  
  
Theresa gave her a confused look.  
  
"All I'm saying is that lying can bring nothing but heartache and pain to a relationship. You need to decide what is more important to you; protecting Ethan or staying true to Fox."  
  
Theresa was about to answer when Sam and Ivy walked out of the room.  
  
"I'm going to go see how he's doing." She smiled at Gwen, standing up.  
  
Theresa walked over to the door and slowly turned the knob. When she peered in she almost gasped.  
  
Ethan was hooked up to several different machines and his face was sickly pale. He looked so different, she barely recognized him.  
  
She carefully pulled a chair to his bedside and gently touched his hand.  
  
"Ethan?" She whispered.  
  
He slowly opened his eyes and smiled at her.  
  
"Theresa," he muttered.  
  
His voice was so weak, it pained her to hear him talk.  
  
"Shhhh, don't speak." She sighed.  
  
"I'm in pretty bad shape aren't I?" He sadly looked up at her, wincing in pain.  
  
She didn't say anything, afraid that if she spoke, he would have to see her fall apart.  
  
"It's ok, you don't have to say anything. I can tell by everyone's faces." He paused for a moment to take a breath, before taking her hand in his. "I love you Theresa."  
  
She gazed into his eyes, a single tear falling down her own.  
  
"I know that you must be confused by me saying so, but I do. I'm sorry for lying to you and I'm especially sorry for hurting you."  
  
She put up a hand for him to stop, but he insisted on continuing.  
  
"I know that there is a good chance that I might not make it, and I accept that. But I don't think I can live another day if you're not here with me. I need you now more than ever."  
  
"Oh Ethan," she cried not being able to hide her emotions. "You're going to be ok. You just have to believe in yourself."  
  
"I don't know about that Theresa." He paused to cough and winced in pain. "I need you to promise me something."  
  
She waited for him to continue, as the sight of him tore her apart.  
  
"I need you to promise me that you will be here with me. I don't know what the next couple of days will bring, but I do know that I need you beside me. Please Theresa, promise me."  
  
She looked at him through clouded eyes, not knowing what to say. She glanced out the window and saw Fox talking to Gwen and Whitney.  
  
"Oh, Fox." She silently whispered, as she turned back to Ethan.  
  
"I promise." 


	18. Secret Crush

CH 17- Secret Crush  
  
Theresa woke up the next morning feeling completely miserable. After getting home from the hospital, she couldn't stop thinking about her promise to Ethan. Being there for him meant that it would probably help his healing process a great deal, but it also meant that she would have to deceive Fox. She hated herself for lying to him, but she knew that he would never understand.  
  
Theresa glanced back at her unmade bed and closed her eyes, remember what had happened the night before.  
  
"Why did we have to make love?" She whispered. "Why did I have to hurt Fox the way that I did?"  
  
Although he technically did not know of her mistake yet, she knew that the time would come when he would eventually find out. It would destroy him and he would absolutely hate her. Fox would be out of her life, and she'd have no one to blame but herself.  
  
"But you can't let that happen Theresa." She told herself, looking out the window. "No one but Gwen must know what happened. It would be a complete disaster and you will lose everything. Fox will never know. He just can't."  
  
Suddenly there was a knock at her door.  
  
Theresa turned around as Paloma poked her head in.  
  
"Hey sis, are you awake yet?" She smiled, closing the door behind her.  
  
"Yeah, I'm awake. I couldn't really sleep much after what happened at the hospital." Theresa sighed throwing a blanket over her bed.  
  
"I know, that's why I came over. I wanted to make sure that you were ok." Paloma gave her sister a comforting hug. "I know how much Ethan means to you. Finding out that he has cancer must be absolutely heart breaking. I can't imagine what it feels like to know that the man that you love might die."  
  
Paloma suddenly saw Theresa tense up, and she wished she could have taken back her words.  
  
"Oh, I'm sorry Theresa. I didn't mean to be so blunt." She apologized, sitting next to her on the floor.  
  
"That's ok." She weakly smiled. "I've been thinking about that lately myself. I've known and loved Ethan since I was a little girl. Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think that he would somehow be gone from my life. It's almost unbearable to think about."  
  
"Well, mama says that prayer is very important. So we just have to pray that a miracle happens and Ethan comes out of this alright."  
  
She gave Theresa's hand a comforting squeeze and almost immediately widely grinned.  
  
"What's that face for?" Theresa laughed.  
  
"Well I was just thinking. I know right now you and Ethan are having some problems, but once he comes out of this, you and him can start to rekindle your relationship!" She happily squealed.  
  
"Um, I don't think so." Theresa awkwardly looked at her.  
  
"Well why not? There's no doubt in my mind that you still have feelings for him and it's obvious that he still loves you! So there's no reason for you to not try again. C'mon sis, you two were destined to be together! It's fate, I just know it!"  
  
Theresa laughed at Paloma's sudden burst of energy.  
  
"Now where have I heard that before?" She giggled, comparing their similarities. "You are definitely my sister!"  
  
"Well it's true," she said making a face.  
  
"Right now things are a bit complicated Paloma. Besides, what do you know about fate and love? You don't even have a boyfriend yet." Theresa playfully punched her.  
  
"Well maybe not right now, but soon I will!" She giggled, a smile creeping up on her lips.  
  
"What do you mean soon?" Theresa suspiciously asked her.  
  
"Well, let's just say there may be someone that I'm interested it." She calmly said, looking in the air.  
  
"What?" Theresa shrieked. "Who? Did you just meet him? Is he cute?"  
  
"As a matter of fact, yes, he's gorgeous!" Paloma happily squealed. "And even though I just met him, I know that we are meant to be!"  
  
"Oh my gosh! My baby sister has a crush on a boy!" Theresa excitedly giggled. "So tell me, what's he like?"  
  
"Well, he's really nice. He's polite, he's handsome, he's funny, and he's everything that a girl could want!" She gleefully grabbed a pillow and fell backwards. "He's your regular prince charming!"  
  
"Wow, I can't believe this! I can't wait to meet him! So, does he like you too?" Theresa grinned.  
  
"Well, see that's kind of the problem." Paloma frowned. "He's a little older than me and I don't think he knows that I like him. So I was thinking that maybe you could help me. You know, give me some pointers."  
  
"Oh, absolutely!" Theresa squealed, already playing with her sister's hair. "Trust me Paloma, when I'm done with you, this boy won't be able to resist you!"  
  
"Thank you so much! I can't wait!" She grinned. "I really want him to be my boyfriend."  
  
"Oh don't worry, he will be." Theresa happily sighed, lying down next to her. "So tell me, who is this handsome prince?"  
  
"It's Fox!" She happily squealed.  
  
Theresa immediately shot up, looking at her sister in disbelief.  
  
"What? Did you just say Fox?"  
  
"Yup!" She grinned. "You told me he was sweet and caring, and you were right! He's absolutely amazing!  
  
Theresa placed a hand to her head and silently cried.  
  
"I did say that didn't I?" She closed her eyes.  
  
"I'm so glad that you made us go on that walk together. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have realized what a great guy he was!" She smiled.  
  
"Oh yeah, he is a great guy." She frowned, feeling like punching herself.  
  
"I'm so glad that you're going to help me! Soon when you get Ethan back, the four of us can go on double dates! It'll be so much fun!" Paloma excitedly looked at her.  
  
"Oh ya," Theresa mumbled, throwing herself back down on the floor. "It'll be a blast!!  
  
-------------------------------------  
  
Fox finished up his last sit-up, as he smiled approvingly.  
  
"Ahhhh," he stretched. "Nothing like some exercise to start off a good morning."  
  
But it actually wasn't that good of a morning with Ethan fighting for his life in the hospital. Even though they weren't exactly close, it pained Fox to know that his half-brother's life was at such a crucial stage. He prayed to God that he would be alright, and he meant it from the bottom of his heart.  
  
Suddenly he heard the doorbell ring.  
  
He threw his shirt behind his shoulder as he ran to see who it was. When he turned the doorknob and saw who stood there, an immediate smile appeared on his lips.  
  
"Well! That's a nice sight to see so early in the morning!" Theresa winked at him, smiling at his well-sculpted body.  
  
"It's all for you honey, it's all for you!" He grinned, kissing her on the cheek. "So, what do I owe this fine visit?"  
  
"Can't I just visit my sexy boyfriend?" She made a face at him.  
  
"Well of course you can, but I actually wasn't expecting to see you. I thought you would have slept in, considering the drama that occurred last night."  
  
"Yeah well I couldn't really sleep." She awkwardly looked away from him.  
  
"I bet. The news about Ethan's cancer really shook everyone up." He slipped his arms around her waist to give her a hug.  
  
"Yeah, it was pretty terrible." She mumbled, turning around to face him. "Um, do you mind if we talk about something else? I don't really feel like talking about what happened last night."  
  
"Yeah, sure." Fox smiled, sensing her uneasiness.  
  
Theresa walked over to the couch and took a seat.  
  
"So, I guess you had a lot of fun on your afternoon with Paloma." She looked up at him.  
  
"Um, ya! We had a great time. She's a sweet girl, and almost as cute as her sister." He winked at her, gently kissing her lips.  
  
"Well I know she had a great time. In fact, she's actually very fond of you." She looked into his eyes.  
  
"Well can you blame her? I can be pretty charming with the young ladies!" He jokingly smirked, but saw the seriousness in her face. "Is something wrong?"  
  
"Yeah, you could say that." She frowned.  
  
"What is it?" He concernedly looked at her.  
  
"Well I was just talking to Paloma this morning and we had the most interesting talk about her new crush!"  
  
"Oh really? That's great! So who's the lucky guy?" He smiled.  
  
"You." She smiled back, waiting for his reaction.  
  
"Oh boy," he giggled, placing his head in his hands.  
  
"I'm glad you find this so amusing!" She made a face at him. "I could lose you to my baby sister and you think it's hilarious!"  
  
"Honey, you're not actually jealous of your little sister are you?" He humorously looked over at her.  
  
"Well ya! Fox, she's absolutely in love with you!" Theresa stared at him.  
  
"So?" He grinned, pulling her to stand up in front of him. "Baby, I love you. Just because Paloma has a crush on me, doesn't mean I'm going to go jumping into her arms! You and I are always going to be together, and nothing is ever going to change that." He smiled, pulling her in for a hug.  
  
She happily wrapped her arms around him, but slowly frowned.  
  
That's right Fox, nothing is ever going to tear us apart. She thought to herself. Nothing, except for the fact that I slept with your brother.  
  
She sadly closed her eyes and enjoyed his warm embrace, hoping that it wasn't going to be their last. 


	19. Unexpected News

CH 18- Unexpected News  
  
(...Three Weeks Later...)  
  
Theresa closed her eyes and smiled as the cool afternoon breeze blew across her face.  
  
"Shall we go a little higher?" Fox teasingly asked her, as he gently pushed her on the swing.  
  
"No!" She giggled. "This is a good height!"  
  
"Baby, you're hardly off the ground!" He laughed, knowing how afraid she was of heights.  
  
"I don't care! You're even lucky that I agreed to go on this thing!" She yelled, glancing back at him.  
  
"Oh come on Theresa, it'll be fun. Just a little higher, ok sweetie?"  
  
Theresa could hear the humor in his voice, as she felt him push her a little harder.  
  
"Fox! That's enough!" She screamed, as the swing began to sway dangerously higher.  
  
"What? Did you say something Theresa?" He laughed, enjoying her high- pitched screams.  
  
"That's not funny Fox! I know you can hear me!" She hysterically shrieked, feeling instant butterflies in her stomach. "I think I'm going to be sick! Nicholas Foxwarth Crane, if you don't stop this thing right now I'm gonna cry!"  
  
"What? You want to go high?" He continued to mock her, laughing uncontrollably.  
  
"No!" She shrieked, hearing him laugh behind her. "Fox!"  
  
Finally he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled the swing to a halt.  
  
"Yes?" He angelically smiled, peering down at her. "Did you want something sweetheart?"  
  
Theresa was about to yell at him, but as he looked at her with those adorable brown eyes all she could do was smile.  
  
"You are so lucky that you are cute!" She grinned, as he pulled her close to him.  
  
"Yeah, I guess I am pretty lucky," He winked at her. "So can I have my kiss now?"  
  
"I don't know, I am still pretty mad at you."  
  
He gave her his best sad puppy-dog face, as she burst into laughter.  
  
"Ok, you win!" She giggled, gently pulling on his shirt.  
  
He leaned in and pressed his lips against hers, giving her a soft but sweet kiss.  
  
--------------------------------------  
  
Rrrrrrrrriiiiinnnnnnngggggggg!!!  
  
The sound of the alarm clock rang loudly, as Theresa struggled to turn it off. Finally her finger found the button, as she switched it off.  
  
She laid back down on her pillow and yawned, remembering the dream she just had.  
  
"I should have known it was just a dream," she sighed. "I can't remember the last time me and Fox had that much fun."  
  
She lifted her head and glanced at the clock.  
  
10:05  
  
"Well, time for another visit to the hospital." She smiled, knowing that Ethan would be happy to see her.  
  
She swung her feet out of bed and grabbed her towel. Just as she was about to head for the shower, she heard her phone ring.  
  
"Hello?"  
  
"Hey Theresa," Whitney's voice sounded through the receiver.  
  
"Oh hey Whit, what's up?"  
  
"Well, I was just going to go visit Chad and I was wondering if you needed a lift to the hospital. You are going to visit Ethan today aren't you?"  
  
"Yeah, I was just about to get ready." Theresa looked through her closet.  
  
"Ok, so I'll be at your place in 15 minutes?"  
  
"Yeah, that's cool. See you then!" She hung up the phone and walked back to the bathroom.  
  
Theresa turned on the hot water and let the shower run. She was just about to get undressed, when a sudden feeling of nausea came over her.  
  
"I think I'm going to be sick," she whispered to herself, thinking twice about going to the hospital.  
  
She stared up at her reflection in the mirror, and sighed.  
  
"No, I have to go, Ethan's waiting." She told herself. "Besides, I made a promise."  
  
As soon as Whitney arrived, Theresa felt a whole lot better. She got into the car, as they headed for the hospital.  
  
"Are you alright?" Whitney concernedly asked. "You don't look so good."  
  
"No, I'm fine." Theresa assured her. "I just got a little sick this morning. I probably just need to eat something."  
  
"Ok," Whitney returned her attention to the road. "So how are you? I feel like I haven't talked to you in ages!"  
  
"Trust me, it's not only you." Theresa looked out the window. "Ever since I've been visiting Ethan at the hospital, I've hardly had time for anyone else. I haven't even been spending that much time with Fox."  
  
"I bet he's not liking that too much, is he?"  
  
"Well, he just thinks I'm being a really good friend to Ethan." Theresa smiled, remembering how understanding Fox had been.  
  
"Yeah, if only he knew the truth." Whitney glanced at her from the review mirror.  
  
"What is that suppose to mean?" Theresa looked at her.  
  
"It means that you really should consider telling Fox the truth about you and Ethan." Whitney told her seriously.  
  
"I can't do that Whit. You know that Fox would hate me." Theresa sighed. "Besides, there's no way that he will find out. Once Ethan gets better, I will explain to him that I am in love with Fox now. Then Fox and I can be together and nobody has to get hurt!"  
  
"Don't get me wrong Theresa, I'm really grateful that you trusted me enough to tell me about this. But sometimes, I wish that you would just keep these crazy ideas to yourself." Whitney threw her hands up in frustration. "You are seriously going to send me to my early grave with these ideas of yours!"  
  
"Whitney, don't worry! I have this completely under control." Theresa placed a hand on her friends lap. "Right now, I just need to spend as much time with Ethan as possible. Dr. Russell said that the more time I spend with him, the easier it's going to be for him to make a faster recovery."  
  
"I know that honey, and trust me I think that what you're doing for Ethan is terrific. But I just thought that you had learned by now what lies and deception can do to a relationship. Innocent people can end up getting really hurt Theresa." Whitney warned her, pulling into the driveway of the hospital.  
  
"I know that Whit, and trust me. No one is going to get hurt." She winked at her, getting out of the car. "Thanks for the drive!"  
  
Whitney shook her head as she watched her friend walk into the building.  
  
"I hope you're right Theresa." She sighed. "For your sake, I hope you're right."  
  
Theresa turned the corner and walked down the hall to Ethan's room. She had been there so many times, she could almost close her eyes and find it.  
  
She turned the knob and slowly walked in. The lights were off, but a stream of sunlight shone through the curtains, giving the room a lighter feeling. During the several days that Theresa had gone there, the room had always seemed so gloomy. It was as if the walls could sense how bad things had been for the past two weeks.  
  
Theresa sat her bag down on a nearby chair and glanced over at Ethan. Even though she had seen him almost everyday, she still could never get used to how bad he looked. The treatment that he was undergoing completely transformed his physical appearance. It was heartbreaking to look at him. It was as if he was a completely different person. His face was always very pale and dead-like, his chest had grown and was more enlarged in size. Dr. Russell said that an enlarged chest was one of the symptoms that were common in patients with emphysema. He hardly had any color in his lips, and his fingernails took a more bluish color. He was always very tired and had to rest ever so often. But whenever she came to visit, he always tried his best to stay awake. He tried so hard to act strong, and it pained Theresa because she knew that deep down inside he was a complete mess.  
  
Her thoughts were interrupted by Ethan's sudden ghastly coughs.  
  
She immediately went over to his bedside and sat on a nearby chair. When he opened his eyes and saw her, an instant smile appeared on his face.  
  
"Hi sweetheart," he grinned weakly. "I'm so glad you're here."  
  
"I'm always going to be here for you Ethan." She smiled, rubbing her finger over his knuckles. "How are you feeling?"  
  
"Great, now that you're here." He winked at her, and winced as he struggled to sit up.  
  
"You don't fool me Ethan," she looked at him seriously. "I know this can't be easy for you."  
  
He tore his gaze away from her and looked out the window.  
  
"You're right. I hate being in here. I hate being so sick! I hate knowing that I'm going to die!" He said between clenched teeth.  
  
"Don't say that." Theresa lightly touched his chin. "You're going to get better Ethan. You just have to fight it. I know you can do it."  
  
"Thanks." He whispered, taking her hand in his. "It's a lot easier with you here."  
  
She smiled, but slowly frowned as the familiar feeling of nausea swept over her once more.  
  
"Are you ok?" Ethan concernedly asked. "You suddenly got really pale."  
  
"I'm fine. I'm just feeling a little sick." She weakly smiled at him.  
  
"Do you want me to call Dr. Russell?" He asked, placing his finger on the call bell.  
  
"No, Ethan. I'm ok really—"  
  
"Call Dr. Russell for what?" Eve poked her head into the room. "Is everything ok?"  
  
"It's Theresa." Ethan spoke up. "She looks a little pale. Maybe you should take a look at her."  
  
"I'm fine!" Theresa protested. "I just need to eat something, that's all!"  
  
Dr. Russell ignored Theresa's objections and placed a hand to her forehead.  
  
"Well, you do feel a little warm honey. Why don't you come with me so I can further examine you."  
  
"Is that really necessary?" Theresa looked up at her. "I'm sure all this queasiness is because I haven't eaten anything today."  
  
"I'd feel a whole a lot better if I examined you." Eve insisted. "It won't take long. You can come right back to finish up your visit with Ethan."  
  
Theresa looked back at Ethan and he gave her an encouraging smile.  
  
"Alright," she gave in. "I'll be right back Ethan."  
  
She followed Dr. Russell to the next room and hopped onto the examining table.  
  
"Ok, I'm just going to give you this shot." She explained, noticing Theresa's uneasiness. "But don't worry, it's not going to hurt. It's just going to show me what's wrong with you."  
  
Theresa laid back and relaxed as Dr. Russell inserted the needle into her arm.  
  
"So, how do you think Ethan is doing?" Theresa asked her.  
  
"Well, right now it's a little too soon to tell. We just started the treatments, so it will be a while before we know if his body is responding to the medicine. But emotionally I think he's doing well. Your visits are really helping him cope with everything. It's a very good thing that you are doing Theresa." Eve smiled at her appreciatively.  
  
"I just want him to get better. I hate seeing him in so much pain. It's not fair." Theresa sighed.  
  
"It never is honey, but we just have to pray that everything works out for the best." She smiled, examining Theresa's results.  
  
"So what's the verdict Dr. Russell?" She asked, sitting up. "Am I going to have to take huge pills for a couple weeks?"  
  
"Well, actually you're going to have to take pills for more than a couple weeks!" She exclaimed beaming at her.  
  
"Why?" Theresa frowned, "I'm not sick am I?"  
  
"No honey, you're not sick." She paused, before looking up at her once more. "You're pregnant." 


	20. Broken Promises

CH 19- Broken Promises  
  
Theresa suddenly felt as though her heart had stopped beating.  
  
"Dr. Russell, what did you just say?" She stared at her in disbelief.  
  
"You're pregnant Theresa." Eve slowly repeated, not wanting to alarm her.  
  
"N-no that can't be," Theresa stuttered. "I-I can't be pregnant!"  
  
"Honey, I know that this is quite a difficult thing to accept, but you're going to have to." Eve looked at her seriously.  
  
"Oh my god," Theresa whispered, placing a hand to her mouth. "My life is over."  
  
"Are you going to be ok?" Eve placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.  
  
"Yeah," Theresa looked up at her, tears clouding her vision. "I'm going to have a baby! This is the happiest moment of my life!"  
  
She tried to sound happy, but deep down inside she felt like her entire world was about to crumble.  
  
"Well, congratulations!" Dr Russell smiled at her. "Did you want me to tell Ethan the good news?"  
  
"No!" Theresa immediately objected. "I'll tell him."  
  
She shakily got down from the examining table and walked towards the door, turning the handle.  
  
"Dr Russell?" She glanced back at her. "Do you mind if we just keep this between the two of us, for now?"  
  
"Of course Theresa. If you don't want me to say anything, I promise to keep this confidential." Eve assured her.  
  
"Thank you." She weakly smiled, as she stepped out in the hall.  
  
She walked back to Ethan's room, and stood frozen in his doorway.  
  
"Hey," he smiled looking up at her. "How did it go? Is everything alright?"  
  
"Yeah, Dr. Russell just said I had to eat something as soon as possible." Theresa lied, barely looking him in the eyes.  
  
She walked across the room and grabbed her bag.  
  
"I have to get going." She told him.  
  
"So soon?" He sadly looked at her. "I was hoping you could stay a little longer."  
  
"Yeah, well Dr. Russell insisted that I get some food in my stomach. So I'm going to head home." She leaned in and kissed his forehead. "Get some rest. I promise I will be back tomorrow."  
  
He held her hand and concernedly looked into her eyes.  
  
"Are you sure everything's ok?"  
  
"Yeah, Ethan everything's fine." She gave him a reassuring smile. "I'll see you tomorrow."  
  
Before he could say another word, she dashed out the room and ran outside. She could feel the hot tears stinging her eyes as she pushed passed the heavy doors of the hospital. Theresa tried to calm herself down, but she could already feel her legs weakening under her as she struggled to come to grips with reality.  
  
"I'm pregnant with Ethan's child!" She cried. "This can't be happening! Everything is going to be ruined! As soon as I start to show, everyone will know that I slept with Ethan! I'll lose everything, including the one person that truly matters, Fo—"  
  
The ringing of her cell phone suddenly interrupted her.  
  
"Hello?" She shakily whispered into the receiver.  
  
"Hey baby, what are you up to?" The familiar voice asked.  
  
"Fox," she sighed, the sound of his voice bringing tears to her eyes. "I'm just here at the hospital."  
  
"Ok, well do you mind coming over for a while?"  
  
Theresa hesitated for a moment. With everything going on, she wasn't sure if she could face him.  
  
"Is something wrong?" She asked him.  
  
"No, I just feel like seeing my beautiful girlfriend. I miss you." The emotion in his voice was heartbreaking.  
  
"I miss you too." She sighed, wiping a tear from her eye. "Ok, I'll be there soon."  
  
She hung up the phone, and stared up at the sky.  
  
"Fox, I love you so much, and there's nothing that I want more than to be with you forever. But I have a strong feeling that after today, our lives will never be the same again."  
  
She slowly stood up and took a deep breath, as she headed in the direction of the Crane Mansion.  
  
---------------------------  
  
Fox lit the last white candle and sprinkled the left over rose petals on the ground. He stood back and admired his creation.  
  
All around the bedroom, he had lit several white candles; each helping to give the room a romantic glow. He then sprinkled rose petals all over the bed and led a trial of them to his doorway. On a nearby table, he had a plate of chocolate-drizzled strawberries and a bottle of the finest champagne he could find. A single red rose laid next to the plate, and the faint scent of jasmine filled the air.  
  
"Theresa is going to love this." He smiled, thinking about his girlfriend.  
  
She had been so busy with her regular visits to Ethan, that they hardly spent time together anymore. Although he was proud of her generous act, he still couldn't help but feel a pain of jealousy towards the situation. Lately his half brother had been seeing his girlfriend more than he had, and it seemed to create a distance between them. But tonight he was going to make up for all of that. The special afternoon that he had planned would be just what they needed to reconnect.  
  
He suddenly heard a tiny knock on the door. He smiled, knowing exactly who it was.  
  
"Fox?" Theresa softly called, stepping into the room. "The maid said that you were up here, planning something for m—"  
  
She stopped in her tracks and looked around amazed, tears slowly filling her eyes.  
  
"What is this?" She smiled peering around the gorgeously lit room.  
  
Fox just stood there and looked at her.  
  
"You like it?" He grinned, taking her hand.  
  
"Like it? Fox, this beautiful!" She beamed, looking into his eyes. "I love it."  
  
"Well I did it for us, so that we could spend some time together." He teasingly pulled her to his bed. "I feel like I haven't seen you in ages."  
  
He softly kissed her lips and inhaled the sweet scent of her perfume. He missed her so much, he felt like he could be with her forever.  
  
As he led a trail of kisses down her neck and gently laid her down on the bed, Theresa felt as though all her problems had melted away. Being with Fox always managed to make her feel like she was floating on a cloud. If only life were really like that.  
  
Fox didn't even realize that he had left the radio on, but as he softly kissed Theresa, he could hear the beautiful words playing in the air.  
  
Every time our eyes meet, this feeling inside me is almost more than I can take.

Baby when you touch me, I can feel how much you love me, and it just blows me away.

I've never been this close to anyone or anything.

I can hear your thoughts. I can see your dreams.  
  
Fox looked deep into Theresa's eyes, as he lovingly stroked her cheek.  
  
"I love you," He whispered.  
  
"I love you too." She smiled, the heavenly words still playing.  
  
I don't know how you do what you do.

I'm so in love with you, it just keeps getting better.  
  
I want to spend the rest of my life, with you by my side, forever and ever.  
  
Every little thing that you do, baby I'm amazed by you.  
  
Fox's hand slowly moved down her back, as he continued to passionately kiss her.  
  
"Theresa, you're so amazing." He whispered in her ear. "I'll never understand how Ethan could be so stupid as to let you go."  
  
The sound of Ethan's name made Theresa's heart skip a beat. Suddenly the events of the night when they had accidentally made love came rushing into her memory.  
  
She pushed Fox off of her, and sat up feeling extremely uncomfortable.  
  
"Baby, what's wrong?" He looked at her confused. "Was it something I said?"  
  
"No, it's nothing like that." She lied, easing off the bed. "I just have to go to the bathroom for a second."  
  
"Oh ok. Don't take too long though." He smiled, winking at her.  
  
She weakly smiled back, and walked into the bathroom closing the door behind her.  
  
She sat on the toilet seat, and pulled out the small box from her pocket. Staring down at it, she took a deep breath.  
  
"I have to make sure that Dr. Russell was right." She whispered to herself, holding the pregnancy test box in her hand. "If I am pregnant, I have to tell Fox the truth."  
  
Theresa did as the instructions told her to do and waited for what seemed like forever. She almost didn't even want to see the results, knowing the destruction that it was cause if it didn't turn out in her favor. She sat on the bathroom floor and nervously rocked back and fourth.  
  
"Theresa?" Fox called from the other side of the door. "Are you alright in there? What's taking you so long?"  
  
"I'll be right out!" She called, her voice shaking.  
  
She picked up the device, and apprehensively looked at the results.  
  
Two blue lines appeared.  
  
"Oh no!" She whispered, placing a hand to her mouth. "It's true! I am pregnant!"  
  
She shakily rose from the ground and turned the doorknob handle, walking back into the room.  
  
Fox sat on the bed and looked up at her, noticing the distressed expression on her face.  
  
"Theresa?" He slowly came towards her. "Is everything ok?"  
  
A tear fell from her eye as she quickly brushed it away.  
  
"Fox, we need to talk." She sadly looked at him.  
  
"What's wrong baby?" He took her hand and guided her back to the bed. "You know you can tell me anything."  
  
He could feel her hands shaking in his own, as he concernedly looked at her.  
  
"Fox, I'm pregnant!" She blurted out, not knowing how else to say it.  
  
He blankly stared at her, shocked by the words that had come from her mouth. Suddenly a huge smile appeared across his face. He picked her up in his arms and swung her around.  
  
"Oh my god, Theresa!" He exclaimed, kissing her on the lips. "Honey, do you know what this means?"  
  
She shockingly looked at him, confused by his reaction.  
  
"I'm going to be a daddy in nine months!!" He laughed, caressing her face in his hands. "This is the best news ever!"  
  
"Fox, no you don't understand!" She cried.  
  
"What's there not to understand? You're going to be a mommy and I'm going to be a daddy!" He grinned, but slowly frowned as he saw the seriousness in her face. "Or is there something that you're not telling me."  
  
Theresa closed her eyes and placed a hand to her head.  
  
"You're not the father Fox," She quietly spoke. "Ethan is."  
  
For a moment he just looked at her, his pulse rate slowly increasing.  
  
"What did you just say?" He coldly stared at her.  
  
When she didn't repeat herself, he tightly closed his eyes.  
  
"You're joking right?" He looked at her, her gaze never meeting his. "God dammit Theresa, tell me that your joking!"  
  
The anger in his voice made her tremble, as tears rolled down her face.  
  
"No, it's the truth." She finally looked up at him. "The night that Ethan was rushed to the hospital, he and I accidentally made love. But I was dreaming! I thought it was you!" She cried, placing her hand on his arm. "But when I woke up, I realized that it was Ethan. I'm so sorry Fox."  
  
He looked off to the side and for a while didn't speak.  
  
"Why didn't you tell me?" He impassively asked her.  
  
"I didn't want to upset you." She began, but her interrupted her.  
  
"You didn't want to upset me?" He yelled. "How did you expect me to react? You slept with my half-brother for god sakes! Did you think that I was just going to kiss you and tell you that it was ok?"  
  
He angrily paced around the room.  
  
"I can't believe this! Theresa how could you do this to me? I thought you loved me!" He stared at her deeply hurt.  
  
"I do love you!" She exclaimed.  
  
"No, you don't do this to someone that you love! After everything that I've done for you, this is how you repay me?" His voice shook as he spoke.  
  
"I didn't mean to! I'm so sorry!" She cried. "Please don't hate me!"  
  
"Please don't hate you?" He stopped and took a deep breath, afraid that he was going to explode.  
  
Theresa had never seen him this angry and it frightened her.  
  
"My god, you're so selfish!" He coldly stared at her, feeling as though she were a complete stranger.  
  
"What?" She looked at him, hurt by his words.  
  
"Here you are standing in front of me, asking me not to be angry with you, when you're pregnant with my half-brother's child! Can you not understand that this is killing me right now?" He could already feel the tears stinging his eyes.  
  
"Fox, please—" She begged, the tears pouring from her eyes.  
  
"Do you have any idea what I was going to ask you tonight?" He dug in his pockets and threw a small black box across his bed. "That's a ring Theresa! That is a god damn ring!"  
  
She hysterically cried, as his voice got louder.  
  
"I was going to get down on my knee and ask you to marry me tonight!" He stared at her in pain. "I was going to ask you to be my wife!"  
  
"Fox—" She placed a trembling hand to her mouth.  
  
"I guess there's no point in that now!" He shook his head and stared at her tear-stricken face. "I can't believe you would do this to me. I can't believe that you're pr—"  
  
He stopped himself from continuing, the pain too much to bear.  
  
"I have to get out of here." He mumbled, heading for the door. "I can't take this!"  
  
He grabbed the knob and slammed the door shut behind him.  
  
Theresa just stood there and cried loudly, begging him to come back. She let herself fall to the bed as the tears flowed down her face. She looked to her left and held the small box in her hands. Opening it, she almost gasped at the beautiful diamond filled, white gold ring that laid inside.  
  
"It's all over," she sobbed, her heart breaking in two. "I've lost him forever."  
  
(A/N: Hey guys!! Just to let everyone know, the song that we used in this chapter was "Amazed" by Lonestar. We realize that we're probably upsetting some of our readers because of what's happening to THEROX, but please keep reading. We promise in the end, it will be worth it! Keep the reviews coming!!! Alicia & Amanda)


	21. The Truth Hurts

CH 20- The Truth Hurts  
  
Fox inhaled the salty water breeze as he stood at the edge of the wharf. The events of earlier raced through his mind as he struggled to remain calm.  
  
"You're not the father. Ethan is." Theresa's words rang in his head.  
  
He could feel his entire body trembling, the tears flowing down his face.  
  
"Why?" He whispered, staring at the still waters below. "Why did you have to do this Theresa? We were so happy! How could you do this to me?"  
  
His legs weakened underneath him, as he let himself slip to the deck's ground. Burying his head in his arms, he cried out all his frustration. He was so excited earlier that morning about proposing to Theresa. When he had been to the jewelry store to buy the ring, he had taken forever trying to select the perfect one. Theresa deserved it all, and he could not wait to make her his wife. For so long he had never felt worthy of love; to experience it or much less have someone feel it for him. But all of that changed the moment that he laid his eyes on Theresa. She made him feel like nothing else mattered in the world. Just as long as they were together, everything was right. But as he sat there on the wharf, the tears falling from his eyes, all of that seemed like just a dream. He should have known that this day would come and that he was right all along. He wasn't worthy of love. He never was, and he never would be.  
  
Fox was filled with so much grief that he didn't even feel someone touch him on his shoulder.  
  
"Fox?" The voice asked.  
  
He looked up to find Luis towering above him.  
  
"Hey man, what are you doing here?" Luis sat down beside him. "Weren't you suppose to propose to Theresa today? Isn't that the reason why you asked me for permission earlier?"  
  
"Yeah," Fox mumbled, his head still buried.  
  
"So what are you doing here by yourself? I would have expected you two to be out celebrating right now."  
  
"Yeah, well there's no point in celebrating if there is nothing to celebrate." He finally raised his head, his eyes completely emotionless.  
  
"I don't understand." Luis looked at him bewildered. "Didn't you ask her?"  
  
"Let's just say, I never got around to it." Fox looked up at him.  
  
For the first time, Luis saw the pain that spread across his face. Fox's eyes were all red and swollen and his shirt was drenched in water.  
  
"Fox you look terrible! What happened?" He asked him.  
  
It took him a while but eventually Fox told Luis about what happened earlier that afternoon between him and Theresa. When he was finished, Luis just looked at him, unsure of what to say.  
  
"Oh man," He whispered. "I'm sorry Fox."  
  
"Why are you apologizing? You didn't do anything to me. It was Theresa." A cold expression flashed across his face, as he said her name.  
  
"Yeah, but she's my sister." Luis sighed. "What can I say? Theresa doesn't always realize the destruction of her actions until it blows up in her face."  
  
"So what are you saying?" Fox looked up at him. "You think what she did was ok?"  
  
"Absolutely not!" Luis shook his head. "Theresa definitely created a hug mess for herself. But you have to understand that her intentions are always good."  
  
Fox just bent his head, too hurt to respond.  
  
"Listen Fox, I know that right now your upset, and you have every right to be. But underneath all that anger, I know that you still love her. You guys just have to find a way to work through this." Luis placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.  
  
"Work through this?" Fox stared at him in disbelief. "Luis, she's pregnant with Ethan's child! That's a pretty hard thing to work around!  
  
"So what are you saying? You're just going to give up on what you two have?" Luis looked at him in shock.  
  
"I don't really have a choice, given the position that I was put in." Fox let out a deep sigh. "Although there are some things about earlier that I don't really understand, there is one thing that is completely clear to me. I could never forgive Theresa. Not after what she did to our love."  
  
Luis watched as Fox's eyes filled with a terrifying darkness. It was as if all the love in his heart had disappeared, and it looked like it was never coming back.  
  
-------------------------------------  
  
Whitney and Gwen climbed the stairs of the Crane Mansion and turned the corner to Fox's room.  
  
"I wonder why Theresa wanted us to come over?" Whitney asked, placed her hand on the doorknob.  
  
"I have no idea." Gwen shrugged her shoulders. "But it looks like we're going to find out."  
  
They knocked on the door and called out.  
  
"Theresa, are you in here?"  
  
When they heard no response, they peered into the room. There among several lit candles and rose petals, sat a helpless Theresa.  
  
"Wow! "Whitney exclaimed. "Look at this place! It's beautiful!"  
  
"Tell me about it!" Gwen giggled. "What happened in here Theresa? Did Fox propose or something?"  
  
Theresa didn't respond. In fact, she didn't even hear them come in. She just sat on Fox's bed and blankly stared at the ring that still laid in its box.  
  
"If only things had been different." She whispered to herself. "Fox and I would have been so happy."  
  
She closed her eyes and imagined how her life would have been if things hadn't happened the way it did.  
  
--------------------------------------  
  
"Honey, I'm home!" A delighted Fox sang, as he came through the door.  
  
He peered into the living room and saw a very pregnant Theresa sitting on the couch.  
  
"Hey baby!" She happily squealed at the sight of her gorgeous husband. "How was work?"  
  
"Work was tiring!" He flopped down beside her. "But I am very happy to be home!"  
  
"Well we are very happy to have you home," Theresa smiled, softly caressing his face.  
  
"So how are my two favourite Cranes?" He winked, placing a hand on her tummy. "Are you feeling ok?"  
  
"Yes sweetie I feel fine. In fact, I'm feeling..." She paused to think of a clever answer. "I'm feeling really...pregnant!"  
  
"Well that's because you are silly!" He laughed, handing her a beautiful bouquet of flowers.  
  
"Oh honey these are beautiful!" She grinned, smelling one of the roses.  
  
"Beautiful flowers for a beautiful wife!" He gently kissed her lips and smiled. "Besides, you deserved it! Pretty soon you are going to make me the happiest father to this little bundle of joy!"  
  
He kissed her tummy and looked lovingly into her eyes.  
  
"Aww, you're going to be such a great daddy." She winked at him.  
  
"And you're going to be such a great mommy." He kissed her once again. "I love you."  
  
"I love you too baby." She smiled, feeling like the luckiest girl in the world.  
  
--------------------------------------  
  
Theresa opened her eyes and cried out loud.  
  
"Oh god! We could have been so happy! I'm so stupid!"  
  
Whitney and Gwen immediately came running to her side.  
  
"Theresa?" Whitney sat down beside her. "Honey what is the matter?"  
  
Suddenly she realized that her friends were in the room.  
  
"Oh my gosh you guys! It's over!" She sobbed in Whitney's arms. "I've lost Fox forever!"  
  
"What do you mean you've lost him?" Gwen gently caressed her hair. "What happened?"  
  
Theresa told them about the horrible event that happened earlier that afternoon.  
  
"You're pregnant?" Whitney looked at her in disbelief. "Are you sure?"  
  
"Yeah," she sobbed. "After your mom told me, I took another pregnancy test to make sure and it came out positive. I'm pregnant with Ethan's child!"  
  
"Oh Theresa!" Whitney whispered. "I knew something like this would happen!"  
  
"Look honey we hate to say this, but Whitney and I told you that this idea of yours would blow up in your face." Gwen seriously looked at her.  
  
"I know!" Theresa cried. "I should have listened to you guys! I should have just told Fox the truth from the beginning! God, I'm so stupid!"  
  
"Theresa, you need to calm down." Gwen looked at her. "I know this is an unfortunate situation, but freaking out like this is not going to get you any where."  
  
"But what if he doesn't forgive me?" She looked up at them, tears falling from her eyes.  
  
"Well honey can you blame him?" Whitney frowned. "You know that Fox loved you very much. To hear that you are pregnant and much less by his own brother cannot be very easy for him. He's probably hurting a great deal right now."  
  
Theresa just sat there and sadly nodded, listening to her friends' hurtful but true words. Suddenly she bolted from the bed and began throwing things across the room.  
  
"Ahhhhh! What have I done?" She screamed enraged. "I've lost everything! This is all my fault!"  
  
Whitney and Gwen tried to grab her as she furiously continued to throw objects.  
  
"Theresa stop it!" Gwen yelled. "You can't do this to yourself! You need to rest, now that you have a baby to take care of!"  
  
Theresa fell to the floor and hysterically cried.  
  
"I can't rest!" She sobbed. "You guys don't understand! Fox was so angry when he left! What if something happened to him?"  
  
"Theresa, I'm sure Fox is fine." Whitney assured her. "If anything, he probably just went some where to cool off."  
  
"Yeah, I wouldn't worry about him—" Gwen began, but her phone suddenly interrupted her.  
  
"I wonder who that could be?" She questioningly placed the receiver to her ear. "Hello?"  
  
"Gwen? O my gosh, thank goodness I reached you!"  
  
"Sheridan? What's wrong?" She could hear the concern in her voice.  
  
"Is Theresa with you?" Sheridan asked.  
  
"Yeah, she's sitting right here with me and Whitney. Did something happen?" Gwen looked at the two girls worriedly.  
  
"You girls have to come down the hospital! I can't explain right now, but please hurry!"  
  
"Sheridan are you there?" Gwen called into her phone as the line went dead.  
  
"What's wrong Gwen? What did Sheridan want?" Theresa fearfully asked.  
  
"I don't know, but she just told us to come down to the hospital right away!"  
  
"Well did she say why?" Whitney gave her a confused look.  
  
"No, she just said to hurry." Gwen stood up and grabbed her bag. "C'mon we could take my car!"  
  
Theresa shot up and hurriedly followed Gwen and Whitney, her heart pounding against her chest.  
  
"Please God, don't let it be Fox!" She whispered to herself, as she quickly ran out the door. 


	22. A Turn For The Worst

CH 21- A Turn For The Worst  
  
Theresa pushed her way through the hospital doors and ran down the hallway behind Gwen and Whitney. Her heart had been racing the entire ride there, as she prayed to god that Fox was all right. She would never forgive herself if something were to happen to him, especially if it were at the hands of her selfishness. If only she had listened to her friends and told Fox the truth. But instead she had let her emotions lead her and now things would never be the same between them.  
  
As they turned the corner, they instantly saw Sam, Ivy, Sheridan, and Luis crowded around Dr. Russell. They were all trying to find out why she had called them to the hospital. As soon as Theresa saw Sheridan she ran up to her.  
  
"Sheridan!" She yelled. "Oh my gosh, we got your call! Is everything alright? Where's Fox? Oh, God please tell me that he's ok!"  
  
"Theresa, what are you talking about?" Sheridan looked at her confused.  
  
"Gwen said that you called to tell us to hurry down to the hospital!" Theresa hysterically spoke. "Did Fox get into an accident? Where is he?"  
  
Luis came over and placed a hand on his sister's shoulders.  
  
"Theresa, calm down!" He looked into her eyes. "Fox is fine! Look, he's right over here."  
  
When Luis moved aside, Theresa saw Fox standing before her. She was so ecstatic to see him, that she immediately threw her arms around him and hugged him tightly.  
  
"Oh Fox, thank god you're ok!" She exclaimed, still tightly embracing him. "I was so worried that something happened to you!"  
  
"Why would you care?" He coldly responded.  
  
It was then that Theresa realized that she did not feel his arms around her. In fact, his body was completely motionless. She looked up into his eyes, and almost gasped at the darkness that stared back at her.  
  
"What?" She looked at him.  
  
"Why would you care if I got hurt?" He repeated, his eyes never blinking. "You don't even love me anymore."  
  
"Of course I do!" She blinked back tears.  
  
"No you don't." He shook his head and brought her close to him, so he could whisper in her ear. "See because the last time I checked, you don't love someone and then turn around and sleep with their brother."  
  
Theresa slowly pulled away from him and frighteningly looked into his eyes, feeling immediate chills run down her spine.  
  
"Fox, that was an accident." She whispered. "I didn't know it was Ethan that I was making love to. I thought it was you!"  
  
He raised his hand to stop her from continuing.  
  
"Save it." He hatefully stared at her. "I don't want to hear anymore of your lies."  
  
"But it's not a lie!" She cried. "I swear to god it's the truth! Fox, I love you!"  
  
"I'm sorry, but I can't believe a word that comes out of your mouth."  
  
He turned to walk away, but she tried to grab his arm.  
  
"Fox, please—" She begged, but he tore his arm from her grip and walked back to the crowd.  
  
Theresa stood staring at the wall for a few moments before she finally let out a small whimper. Whitney came over to her and placed a hand on her back.  
  
"Honey, are you ok?" She looked into her tear-filled eyes.  
  
"He hates me Whit." She painfully whispered. "He absolutely despises me, and it's all my fault!"  
  
"I know that this is hard Theresa, but Fox just needs his space." She wrapped her arms around her. "He's in a lot of pain right now and he just needs to be left alone. You understand that don't you?"  
  
Theresa slowly nodded and wiped a tear away from her eye.  
  
"C'mon, let's go see why my mother wanted us all to come here." She placed a comforting hand around Theresa's shoulder and guided her back to the group.  
  
"Alright everyone, as soon as you all calm down I will be happy to tell you why I called everybody here." Eve yelled over the commotion.  
  
As soon as she got everyone's attention, she began.  
  
"Well as you all know, it's been about three weeks since we started Ethan's treatment. So far, we've been monitoring his vitals very closely to see if there has been any change. But I regret to say that things aren't looking that good." She sadly looked at them.  
  
"What do you mean Eve?" Ivy asked, growing concerned. "Are you saying that the treatment isn't working?"  
  
"Well I'm not sure exactly what is wrong but according to the tests that we performed, Ethan's body is not reacting to the medicine that we gave him. By now, he should have shown at least some signs of progression. Even the smallest bit of reaction would have given me some hope, but right now—"  
  
"Well then you have to try something else Dr Russell!" Theresa interrupted her.  
  
"Honey, it's not that simple. If Ethan is not responding to this drug, he won't respond to anything else." Eve told her.  
  
"So there's nothing else you can do?" Sam worriedly asked.  
  
"No," She sadly shook her head. "It's out of my hands now. All we can do is pray for a miracle."  
  
"No!" Theresa yelled. "We can't just give up! Dr. Russell, you have to save Ethan! I don't know what I'd do if I lost him!"  
  
Fox suddenly shoved passed Luis in anger and left the area.  
  
Theresa bit her tongue, as she realized the effect that her words had on him. She was about to run after him, but Gwen stopped her.  
  
"Don't honey," she held her hand. "Just let him go."  
  
She sadly obeyed and turned back to Dr. Russell.  
  
"How much longer does Ethan have?"  
  
"I wouldn't give him more than two weeks." Eve frowned.  
  
"Two weeks!" Ivy exclaimed. "So soon?"  
  
"I'm afraid so. But you never know what can happen before then. We just have to stay positive." She gave them a weak smile.  
  
"Well, how is he right now?" Luis inquired.  
  
"Well that's the other bad news." Eve sadly looked at them. "Just a few hours ago, Ethan slipped into a coma."  
  
"Oh my god!" Whitney cried. "Is he alright?"  
  
"Right now, he's fine." She glanced back at his window. "You can still talk to him, but he just won't respond."  
  
A loud beeping interrupted her, as she looked down at her beeper.  
  
"I'm sorry everyone, I have to take this. But please feel free to visit with Ethan. The constant support could help him a great deal."  
  
She left them to talk amongst them selves and visit Ethan one at a time. Soon everyone had gone home and Theresa was the only one left at the hospital. She had waited to be the last one to visit Ethan on purpose. There was something important that she had to tell him, and she didn't want anyone else to hear.  
  
Finally she walked over to his room and slowly turned the doorknob, easing her way inside. She pulled a nearby chair to his bedside and took his hand in hers.  
  
"Ethan?" She softly began. "It's me Theresa. I just wanted to talk to you for a few minutes because there's something very important that I have to share with you."  
  
Theresa was so concentrated on Ethan's motionless face, that she didn't even hear someone come to the door.  
  
As she continued to talk to him, Fox stood at the doorway and watched her.  
  
"Ethan, Dr. Russell told us that you're not doing so well. She says that you may not even make it." Her voice croaked as she struggled to continue. "But I'm not going to give up on you. I know that you are strong and that you will get through this. However, I need you to understand something. You not only have to get better for yourself. You also have to get well for your child."  
  
She paused and placed his lifeless hand on her stomach.  
  
"That's right Ethan, you have a child! I'm pregnant!" She smiled. "You're going to be a daddy, and I just know that you're going to be a fabulous one! But in order for that to happen, you have to get better. If you don't, I will have no one! There's no one who can help me right now. I'm pregnant with your child, and I'm completely alone! So Ethan, if you can hear me, I am begging you to please fight this! Please don't leave me alone!"  
  
She closed her eyes and let out a whimper as the tears flowed down her face.  
  
Fox stood at the doorway and swallowed back down the lump that had risen in his throat. He wiped the tear that he didn't even realize had fallen and let out a deep sigh.  
  
"Why couldn't I have been the father of that baby?" He softly whispered. "Why did it have to be Ethan?"  
  
As she slowly rose from the chair and made her way to the door, he quickly hid behind the corner.  
  
Stepping out into the hallway, Theresa wrapped her arms around her body. She could feel herself trembling as the tears continued to roll down her cheeks.  
  
"I'm just kidding myself!" She sobbed. "Ethan is not going to get better! I'm going to have to do this all by myself!"  
  
"No you're not." Fox appeared behind her.  
  
Theresa spun around and shockingly looked up at him.  
  
"Fox?" She whispered. "I thought you left."  
  
"I did, but I decided to come back." He calmly spoke. "Listen Theresa, you don't have to worry. You won't have to go through this alone."  
  
She looked up at him and smiled, briefly catching a sparkle of compassion in his eyes.  
  
"What do you mean Fox?"  
  
"I'm going to be here for you through your pregnancy." He weakly smiled.  
  
Theresa was about to throw her arms around him but he instantly stopped her.  
  
"Wait!" He held her by her shoulders. "Before you get all excited, I just want you to know that I'm only doing this for the baby."  
  
"What?" She asked confused. "I don't understand. Didn't you just say that you were going to be here for me?"  
  
"Yes, but it's only for the well-being of that little one growing inside of you. With Ethan here in the hospital, you're not going have anyone to take you to lamas classes and to the doctor. That baby needs as much care as possible, and I'm going to make sure that it gets just that."  
  
"So, does that mean that nothing has changed between us?" She sadly looked up at him.  
  
"No, it hasn't." He assured her, the cold look returning to his eyes. "I'm still very much upset with you. It's just that I don't think an innocent baby should parish as a result of the way that I feel about you."  
  
As she stood there and looked into his eyes, she finally realized just how much she had hurt him. He no longer looked at her with the love and admiration that he once had for her. The only thing that stared back at her was a lot of hate, pain and confusion. Fox was definitely not the same person, and it killed her to know that she played a big part in the reason for why he suddenly changed.  
  
"I really am sorry Fox." She sincerely looked at him.  
  
"I know." He softly said. "But it doesn't matter. What's done is done."  
  
He painfully turned and walked away, leaving her standing in the dark deserted hallway. 


	23. Double Trouble

CH 22-Double Trouble  
  
(A/N: We hope you all are enjoying the story so far. We really enjoy writing for you! But we're going to move the story ahead a little. Starting from this chapter Theresa is going to be already 4 months pregnant. Although Fox is still angry with her for what she did, he's there for Theresa 100%. Eve was wrong with her diagnoses for Ethan. It has been four months and he's still in his coma. He hasn't made any progression but he also has not gotten any worst. Paloma and Fox have gotten a lot closer and she is trying her hardest to get him to be her boyfriend. However, Fox hasn't noticed since he is still pretty hurt over her sister. Well, that's our update! Enjoy the rest of the story! Oh, and of course please keep the reviews coming!!! Alicia & Amanda )  
  
"Yummy, what kind is that?" Paloma leaned over Fox's shoulder as he slowly mixed the soup in the pot.  
  
"I like to call it Chicken Soup á la Fox!" He winked at her, sprinkling some seasoning into it. "You're sister's going to love this!"  
  
"I don't know Fox, so far she's thrown up everything you've given her." Paloma giggled, leaning in closer to him so she could smell his cologne.  
  
She happily sighed as she inhaled his glorious scent.  
  
"Well that's what morning sickness does." He looked up at her, pouring some of the soup into a bowl. "But once Theresa tastes this, there's no way she can throw it up. It's delicioso!"  
  
Paloma giggled at Fox's attempt to speak Spanish.  
  
"Are you making fun of me?" He glanced at her, pretending to be angry.  
  
"Of course not!" She laughed.  
  
"You're very lucky that I'm holding this bowl of soup right now, or I'd come over there and tickle you till you burst from laughing so hard." He winked, heading up the stairs.  
  
Paloma closed her eyes and completely melted in her chair. She couldn't wait for the day when Fox would put his hands all over her; and she didn't mean by tickling. Just the thought of his strong hands on her body made her squirm with delight.  
  
"You are so hot Fox!" She giggled to herself. "And soon you will be all mine!"  
  
She grabbed a magazine from the table and waited for her future boyfriend to come back downstairs.  
  
Fox turned the corner to Theresa's room and carefully knocked on the door.  
  
"Theresa, I brought you something to eat." He smiled carrying the tray inside. "You're going to love this I promise."  
  
When Theresa opened her eyes and saw the tray of food in Fox's hands, she instantly hid her face behind a pillow.  
  
"No, no food!" She cried. "Everything makes me sick!"  
  
"Oh, but you have to eat so that you stay strong for the baby." He sighed, sitting down next to her.  
  
She took the pillow away from her face and looked down at the bowl.  
  
"Well, it does look good." She weakly smiled.  
  
"Yup, and it tastes even better." He winked at her, bringing the spoon to her mouth.  
  
She slowly opened her mouth and tasted a bit of it.  
  
"Mmmm," she smiled. "That does taste good!"  
  
Fox was just about to grin proudly, when a flash of nausea swept across Theresa's face. She quickly dashed from her bed and ran into the bathroom, throwing up into the toilet. Fox held her hair back as she continued to vomit the last bit of his soup. When she was done, she wiped her mouth and looked up at him.  
  
"I must be really grossing you out, huh?"  
  
He knelt down beside her and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.  
  
"You know you could never do that." He winked and smiled loving at her.  
  
Suddenly a swarm of old feelings came rushing back to him and he cleared his throat uncomfortably. Theresa noticed his uneasiness and smiled, knowing exactly what he was thinking. He carefully picked her up from the ground and held her close to him.  
  
"C'mon, we should get you back to bed." He awkwardly smiled, and helped her into the other room.  
  
Theresa slowly got under the covers and rested her head back on the propped pillows, never taking her eyes off him. She was almost positive that he had felt their strong connection once more. But she wasn't sure since he was determined to not let his emotions show. She just hoped that he was beginning to forgive her.  
  
Picking up the bowl from the table, Fox turned back to the door.  
  
"I'm going to be downstairs Theresa." He told her, not making any eye contact. "Call me if you need anything."  
  
He quickly closed the door behind him and breathed a sigh of relief, leaning his head against the wall.  
  
"Pull yourself together Fox." He whispered to himself. "Remember, she hurt you."  
  
He made his way back downstairs and returned to the kitchen.  
  
As soon as Paloma noticed that he was back, she immediately followed him.  
  
"So did she eat it?" She asked him, hopping up onto the counter.  
  
"Nope." He sighed. "She took one sip and ran into the bathroom."  
  
Paloma giggled as Fox wearily slumped into one of the chairs.  
  
"My god, I'm exhausted!" He yawned, resting his head on the table.  
  
Paloma instantly smiled as she realized her open opportunity.  
  
"Awww, you poor thing!" She grinned, jumping down from the counter.  
  
She made her way over to him and slowly began massaging his shoulders.  
  
"You have just been so amazing to my sister." She smiled, gently moving her fingers in circles. "But you can't keep over-working yourself like this!"  
  
"It's ok, I don't mind." He pleasurably mumbled. "Besides, Theresa needs all the help she can get. With Ethan in the hospital, she needs someone to be here for her."  
  
"Well, that's really sweet of you Fox." She softly whispered, slowly moving her hands underneath the collar of his shirt. "You're such a caring and compassionate man."  
  
Fox just moaned in reply. He could feel the tension in his shoulders slowly disappearing as Paloma continued to massage him. Her fingers were so delicate, yet they seemed to hit all the right places. Her body was so close to him, that he could smell the faint scent of her perfume; it smelled heavenly. With the combination of her intoxicating scent and the pleasant massage, Fox felt like her was in paradise.  
  
"Do you like that?" She whispered into his ear.  
  
"Yeah, it feels great." He smiled, not realizing that her mouth was dangerously close to his.  
  
"Good," She grinned. "I was hoping you would say that!"  
  
She quickly turned him around and pressed her lips against his. Although he tried to push her away, she forcefully pulled him closer and deepened the kiss with her tongue.  
  
Meanwhile, Theresa was upstairs talking on the phone with Whitey and Gwen.  
  
"Girls, I think Fox is actually starting to forgive me!" She happily squealed into the receiver.  
  
"I don't know Theresa," Gwen frowned. "He was really upset with you for what you did to him."  
  
"Yeah, and that kind of pain doesn't just go away over night." Whitney agreed.  
  
"Look, I know that he was really upset. But I think all of the time that we're spending together is starting to change his feelings towards me!"  
  
"Trust me honey, there is nothing that I would love more than for you and Fox to get back together, but I just don't see that happening right now and I don't think you should get your hopes up." Gwen told her.  
  
"Exactly!" Whitney added. "Besides, you're the one who told me that Fox almost despised you. Why would he suddenly have a change of heart?"  
  
"I don't know." Theresa shrugged, glancing at the snow falling outside her window. "Maybe he's getting into the Christmas spirit!"  
  
"Oh geez!" The two girls groaned in unison. "Theresa you're nuts!"  
  
"Fine, think whatever you want!" Theresa smiled in the phone. "But I'm telling you, Fox is on the verge of forgiving me!"  
  
She was just about to continue when her throat suddenly felt dry.  
  
"I'm going to go get something to drink. But I'm going to call you guys right back so we can finish this conversation!" She giggled as she heard them groaning. "I'll talk to you two later."  
  
She hung up the phone and slowly climbed out of bed, heading downstairs. When she reached the kitchen door, she suddenly felt a chill run down her spine.  
  
"What was that?" She whispered, looking down at her goose-bump filled arm. "I just had the weirdest feeling that something was wrong."  
  
Forcing herself to ignore the feeling, she placed a hand on the kitchen door and walked into the room. Theresa drew in a sharp breath of air as she stared in horror at Fox and Paloma. Instant tears filled her eyes as the two passionately kissed in front of her. She opened her mouth to say something, but no words came out, the shock too much to bear. A thousand fears rushed into Theresa's mind, as she stood motionless in her kitchen. Suddenly a gust of sharp pains tore the insides of her stomach.  
  
"Owe!" She screamed, crouching to the ground.  
  
Fox immediately pushed Paloma away when he heard the sudden cries.  
  
"Theresa!" He exclaimed, as he rushed to her side.  
  
"F-ox, it h-ur-ts!" She managed say in between clenched teeth.  
  
"Oh god," He cursed underneath his breath. "We've got to get you to Dr. Russell."  
  
"Good idea, I'll tell mama that we're going to the hospital." Paloma ran to the door.  
  
Fox carefully scooped Theresa in his arms, and made his way over to the living room.  
  
"Don't worry honey, everything will be ok." He worriedly looked down at her.  
  
"Fox," She whispered softly before finally fainting.  
  
"Ok, let's go!" Paloma rushed downstairs. "Let's get my sister to the hospital."  
  
She opened the front door and before long they were on their way.  
  
As soon as they reached Harmony hospital, Dr. Russell took Theresa into her care.  
  
Fox nervously paced around the waiting room, as he waited for Eve to return with news concerning Theresa's condition.  
  
"Don't you think you should sit down?" Paloma looked up at him. "You pacing around like this is not going to make the doctor come out any faster."  
  
"I can't rest until I know that Theresa is alright." He ran an anxious hand through his hair. "I will never be able to forgive myself if anything happened to that baby she's carrying."  
  
"But how would that be your fault?" She confusedly asked him.  
  
"Paloma, I have a very strong feeling that Theresa saw us kissing earlier." He seriously looked at her.  
  
"So what? It's not like she's your girlfriend or anything. I don't understand why seeing us kissing would make her so upset."  
  
Fox let out a deep sigh. It just occurred to him that Paloma had not idea of him and Theresa's past together. In her eyes, it was as if they had done nothing wrong, when in fact they did the most disastrous thing they could ever do.  
  
"Fox?" Dr. Russell's voice brought him back to reality. "Would you and Paloma like to come in here please?"  
  
Fox immediately followed Eve into the room. When he saw Theresa smiling back at him from the hospital bed, he instantly felt a huge weight lift off his heart.  
  
"Theresa, thank god! Are you alright?" He rushed over to her and softly kissed her forehead.  
  
"Yeah, I'm fine." She weakly whispered. "Dr. Russell just said that I had some mild cramps."  
  
"Cramps?" Fox looked up at Eve confused. "What kind of cramps? Did they affect the health of the baby?"  
  
"No Fox," she began, a smile creeping on her lips. "The cramps did not do any damage to Theresa's pregnancy. The babies are just fine!"  
  
"Theresa did you hear that? The babies are just fine!" He happily exclaimed, but paused as he realized what he had just said. "Dr. Russell, did you just say babies?"  
  
"Yes I did," She gleefully beamed. "Theresa is having twins!"  
  
Fox looked down at a tear-filled Theresa, as she happily giggled.  
  
"I was as shocked as you are when Dr Russell told me." She grinned.  
  
"I can't believe this!" He exclaimed as he leaned in to hug her. He had never been so happy in his entire life.  
  
"Alright, I understand that this is all very exciting news, but I also want to talk to you about something very important." She paused to look at Theresa seriously. "Now that you are caring twins, that means that it is vital that you take extreme good care of yourself. That means eating right, getting exercise, regularly coming to visit me for your checkups, and most importantly that you stay clear of any stress. Undergoing any type of stress right now could be damaging to your pregnancy."  
  
"I understand Dr. Russell." Theresa nodded and alternated glances between Fox and Paloma. "I'll try my best."  
  
"Ok, if you don't mind I would like to keep you here over night. I'm still not quite sure what brought on those sudden cramps that you had." Eve suspiciously glanced at her clipboard. "I'll make sure to call Pilar so she can bring you a fresh change of clothes."  
  
"Thank you." Theresa smiled, as Dr. Russell left the room. She turned her attention to Fox.  
  
"I still can't believe that I'm having twins!" She happily squealed.  
  
"I know me neither!" Fox squeezed her hand. "I'm so proud of you. This is amazing news, don't you think Paloma?"  
  
He turned around and glanced at her at the doorway.  
  
"Oh yeah!" She smiled. "It's fantastic! Congratulations sis, I'm so happy or you!"  
  
"Thanks," Theresa grinned. "I can't wait to tell the rest of the family!"  
  
Paloma watched on as Fox and Theresa happily embraced. She suddenly felt a twinge of jealousy in her stomach, as she cleared her throat loudly.  
  
"I'm a little thirsty, so I'm going to go get a pop from the vending machine." She suddenly spoke. "Do you guys want anything?"  
  
They both shook their heads, so she quietly left the room.  
  
Out in the hallway, she grinded her fists together, as she angrily stared back at the door.  
  
"Theresa, you're my sister and I love you very much but if it weren't for you, Fox and I would still be sharing our kiss!" She placed a hand to her lips, as she remembered feeling his lips against hers. "I will make Fox mine if it's the last thing that I do. I know that we were destined to be together and I will let no one stand in the way of our happiness, not even my own sister." 


	24. High Risks

CH 23- High Risks  
  
Theresa sat in the hospital bed and playfully wrote down baby names on a sheet of paper.  
  
"Girls: Maria, Elizabeth, Hallie, Maggie, Lindsay...Boys: Mark, David, Alexander, Justin, Joshua..." She giggled to herself.  
  
She gently rubbed her tummy and smiled.  
  
"So what do you think? Do we have a winner?"  
  
Suddenly she heard a knock on the door and Pilar poked her head in.  
  
"Hello?" She smiled, stepping into the room. "How's my beautiful daughter?"  
  
"Hi mama," Theresa grinned. "I'm tired, but I'm doing good."  
  
Pilar gently kissed her on her forehead and pulled a chair over to the bed.  
  
"Well, being tired is understandable. You're carrying double the fun now!" She laughed, placing a hand on Theresa's tummy. "How are my future grandchildren?"  
  
"Dr. Russell says that they are doing really good."  
  
"Fox must be really happy that he's going to be a father soon." Pilar winked at her.  
  
Theresa looked up at her mother in shock.  
  
"Mama, I never told you about me and Fox. How did you know?"  
  
"Therasita, there are some things that a mother doesn't need to be told." She smiled. "I could see from the look in your eyes that your relationship with Fox was developing, and I was right! Besides, I don't see how you could have kept it a secret for very long."  
  
Pilar looked down at her daughter's tummy and gave her a motherly grin.  
  
"Yeah, that's true." Theresa awkwardly smiled. "But there's actually something that you need to know."  
  
"What is it?" Pilar gave her a concerned look.  
  
"The babies that I'm carrying aren't by Fox." She paused to take a breath. "They're by Ethan."  
  
"Ethan?" Pilar looked at her confused. "I don't understand. I thought you were in a relationship with Fox."  
  
"We were, but—Ethan and I accidentally slept together."  
  
"Accidentally?" Pilar looked at her daughter in disbelief. "I'm sorry Therasita, but I find that very hard to believe."  
  
"I swear mama, it's true!" Theresa assured her.  
  
She continued to tell her mother the horrible details of the night when she and Ethan mistakenly made love.  
  
"Oh Mija, you didn't!" Pilar looked at her daughter.  
  
"Unfortunately I did." Theresa frowned. "And then to make matter's worst, I had to tell Fox."  
  
"Well, I'm glad that you did because you know first hand what lies and deceit can do to a relationship. But I can't imagine how hurt Fox was, when you told him."  
  
"Yeah, he was pretty upset." She sadly recalled. "I'm even surprised that he's as supportive as he is. I never would have imagined that he would be helping me, after what happened."  
  
"Well, Fox is definitely a very caring individual." Pilar smiled. "In fact, I'm sure that as much as you hurt him, he still very much loves you."  
  
"Yeah, I guess." She frowned, looking off into the distance.  
  
"Mija?" Pilar looked at her concerned. "Why do you sound so skeptical?"  
  
Theresa took a while before she turned to her mother.  
  
"It's because of something that I saw yesterday." She took a deep breath and tried to remain calm. "Yesterday, I saw Fox and Paloma kissing in the kitchen."  
  
"What? Paloma? Fox? Are you sure?" Pilar shockingly asked.  
  
"Yes. In fact, that's the whole reason why I'm here right now." Theresa sighed. "When I saw them kissing, I instantly became upset. Only instead of yelling at them, I just began to get these extremely painful sharp pains in my stomach. Then when we came to the hospital, Dr. Russell told me that I had been cramping. She still doesn't know why the cramps started in the first place, but she told me that I should try to avoid any type of stress."  
  
"Well then you should do as Eve says." Pilar placed a hand on her daughter's arm. "You not only have your own health to worry about Theresa. Now you are responsible for two more innocent lives."  
  
"I realize that mama, and I would never intentionally put my children's lives in danger." She assured her. "But it just bothers be so much to think that something could be going on between Fox and my little sister."  
  
"Mija, I want you to stop worrying about this right now!" Pilar sternly looked at her. "The only thing that this can do is bring you more stress and you don't need that right now."  
  
She rose from the chair and pulled out Theresa's clothes from a bag.  
  
"Eve said that it was alright for you to go home, so let's get you dressed ok?" Pilar noticed that Theresa still wore a worried expression on her face. "Therasita, I know that your concerns about your sister and Fox have really got you upset. But please think about the little ones inside of you. Their lives could be jeopardized if you continue with this worry."  
  
Theresa finally looked up at her mother and smiled.  
  
"I understand what you're saying mama. The moment that I found out I was having twins was probably the happiest moment of my life. I still have to get used to the idea that there are little people growing inside of me." She paused to wipe a happy tear away from her eyes. "I can't wait for when they are born and I can hold them in my arms. To know that I am going to be a mother in less than six months is amazing, and I wouldn't trade this feeling for anything. So that's why I'm really going to take care of myself and try not to worry too much about Fox and Paloma. The future of my children's lives depends on it and I'm not going to selfishly jeopardize that."  
  
----------------------------------  
  
Fox parked his car in the hospital driveway and made his way into the hospital. When he got inside he saw Dr. Russell talking to a nurse at the front desk.  
  
"Hey Dr. Russell," he called approaching her. "Is Theresa alright to go home today?"  
  
"Oh hello Fox," she smiled. "Yes it's fine for you to take her home.  
  
She walked away from the nurse and pulled him aside.  
  
"Actually Fox, there's something that I wanted to talk to you about."  
  
"This sounds serious," he concernedly looked at her. "Does this have anything to do with Theresa?"  
  
"Yes it does." She acknowledged, sitting down on a nearby couch. "It's actually very serious."  
  
Fox slowly sat down next to her and worriedly looked into her eyes.  
  
"But Dr Russell didn't you say that the babies were fine? What could you possibly want to talk to me about?"  
  
"Although I told you that the babies were fine, I also said that I needed to check into what made Theresa have those sudden cramps." She reminded him.  
  
Fox immediately felt his heart skip a beat.  
  
"Well did you find out what it was?" He nervously asked.  
  
"Yes I did." She seriously looked at him. "Fox, Theresa is undergoing a very high risk pregnancy. The cramps that she had been having were indications that her body is extremely weak, which is not a good thing considering that she is now having twins. That's why I cannot stress enough how important it is for her to stay clear from any tensions in her life. Any type of stress can be extremely fatal for not only the babies but also for herself."  
  
Fox placed a hand to his head and let out a deep sigh.  
  
"Does Theresa know about this?" He finally looked up.  
  
"I'm sure that she knows the stress can be harmful, but not to this extent. That's why you need to make sure that she stays calm." She placed a comforting hand on his shoulder and smiled. "You are actually doing a great job with her right now. Supporting her through her pregnancy is probably what is keeping her mind off of Ethan's condition. Stresses like that is enough to put her and the babies' lives in grave danger."  
  
"I don't want anything to happen to her or the babies." Fox sadly looked at her.  
  
"As long as you keep being there for her, you won't have to worry about that." She smiled rising from the couch. "I have to go attend to a patient right now, but Theresa's in her room getting ready with Pilar. You can take her home as soon as you like. Just make sure to sign her out."  
  
"I will Dr Russell, thank you." He weakly grinned.  
  
As soon as she left, he put his head in his hands.  
  
"What am I going to do?" He whispered to himself. "There's no doubt in my mind that Theresa saw Paloma and I kissing yesterday. The stress from that is probably what caused all of this to happen to her in the first place. Now if she doesn't stay calm, it can put her and the babies' lives in danger. I have to make it my duty to not let her get too worked up. If not, I'll definitely lose her and it won't be to Ethan. It'll be to death." 


	25. A Sweet Gesture

CH 24- A Sweet Gesture  
  
Fox smiled as he admired Theresa's beauty in the sweet afternoon sunlight.  
  
"You are absolutely gorgeous baby," he grinned as she looked up at him.  
  
She put aside the picnic basket and came closer to him.  
  
"Thank you honey, you're not so bad yourself." She giggled, as he pulled her in for a kiss.  
  
"Hey, what about me?" Three-year old Hallie giggled, as she sat in her father's lap.  
  
"Oh don't worry sweetheart, there is no competition. You are absolutely beautiful!" Fox laughed, as he caught his daughter.  
  
"And me?" Little Alexander slipped into his mother's lap.  
  
"Well, you are the most handsome boy that I've seen in my whole life!" Theresa giggled, kissing him on his cheek.  
  
"I must be the luckiest man in the world to have such a wonderful family" Fox smiled, lovingly staring at his wife and two kids. "You three have made me so happy."  
  
"Well we are the lucky ones, sweetheart." Theresa grinned. "We honestly couldn't ask for a better husband and father."  
  
"Yeah, we love you daddy!" Hallie smiled, kissing him on his nose.  
  
He playfully lifted her in the air and tickled her tiny tummy, as she gigged with delight.  
  
At that very moment, Fox realized that for the first time in his life he was completely happy. He had a wife that loved him and two kids that he was crazy about. Life definitely couldn't get any better than this.  
  
-----------------------------------------------  
  
The sound of the telephone ringing woke Fox immediately. He groaned as he rolled over and looked at the clock.  
  
3:27 a.m.  
  
"Who could be calling so early in the morning?" He mumbled, reaching for the phone.  
  
"Hello?" He groggily said into the receiver.  
  
"Hey Fox!" The cheerful voice rang.  
  
"Theresa? Is that you?" He squinted, slowly opening his eyes.  
  
"Yeah, it's me." She giggled. "So what are you up to?"  
  
He sat up in his bed and rubbed his eyes, still confused by her sudden call.  
  
"Well let's see, it's 3:30 in the morning, so..." He let his voice trail off.  
  
"Oh, I'm so sorry. Did I wake you?" She apologized.  
  
"It's ok, don't worry about it." He smiled. "But why did you call? Is everything alright? You're not having cramps are you?"  
  
"Fox, calm down!" She laughed. "I'm fine. It's just that—I'm kind of hungry all of a sudden."  
  
"Hungry? Ok, so why don't you just go downstairs and get something to eat?" He yawned.  
  
"I don't think we have any of the things that I want." She lightly giggled.  
  
"Well what do you want?"  
  
"I don't know." She paused for a moment. "I have this weird craving for some chips...or maybe some ice-cream...with lots and lots of chocolate and fudge. Yeah, that sounds good. No wait! I think I want some pizza...with lots of cheese...and pepperoni...no not pepperoni...fish!"  
  
"Fish?" He exclaimed, making a face. "Theresa that's disgusting!"  
  
"I know!" She laughed. "But I want it...with some onions and...oh I don't know! Fox, am I crazy?"  
  
"No, you're not crazy sweetheart." He smiled. "This is actually quite normal with pregnant women."  
  
"Really? How do you know?"  
  
"I've been doing some reading lately." He chuckled. "I figured I might as well be prepared."  
  
"Yeah that's true." She smiled. "Well, I'll let you go back to sleep. I'm so sorry I woke you."  
  
"Theresa, I said don't worry about it." He seriously said into the phone. "Besides, I'm not even tired anymore. Do you want me to come over?"  
  
"Now? No Fox, I couldn't ask you to do that." She began. "Don't trouble yourself because of me. I don't even know why I called."  
  
"Theresa, stop it. You obviously called because you need someone to talk to." He swung his feet out of the bed and stood up. "Now, you sit tight and I'll see what I can do about these crazy cravings of yours. I'll be there soon."  
  
Before she could say another word, he had hung up the phone.  
  
Theresa was actually glad that Fox agreed to come over. She was hoping that they could spend some more time together. Ever since she thought he felt their strong connection again, she was convinced that he was on the verge of forgiving her. Nothing would make her happier than for her and Fox to be together again. Even though that seemed impossible at the moment, with her being pregnant, she still loved him no matter what. A part of her knew that he was still upset with her for sleeping with Ethan, but deep in her heart she was convinced that he still loved her. All they needed was some time together. Theresa had spent the next few hours thinking about the happier times she and Fox had shared. They were honestly really happy. If only things hadn't happened the way it did.  
  
Suddenly she heard a tiny knock on her window. Her heart leaped as she made her way over, knowing exactly who it was. When she opened the curtains, an immediate smile appeared on her face.  
  
"Hey," she grinned letting Fox in.  
  
"Hello, how are you three doing?" He smiled, gently rubbing her tummy.  
  
Theresa drew in a sharp breath as she suddenly felt a lot of movement in her stomach.  
  
"What is it Theresa?" Fox grew concerned. "Are you in pain?"  
  
"No, it's nothing like that!" She laughed. "The babies just kicked!"  
  
"Really?" He grinned. "Oh my gosh!"  
  
"Yeah! Come here, feel it!" She squealed happily, placing his hand on her tummy.  
  
"That's amazing! Looks like we're going to have some soccer players in the family!" He laughed, feeling the intense movement. "Do they always kick this much?"  
  
"No, that's the thing! I've never felt them kick before! They just started, as soon as you touched my stomach!" She looked at him amazed. "They must really like you!"  
  
"Well of course! They probably already know that they have the world's greatest uncle!" He winked at her.  
  
"The best." She smiled. "So what did you bring me?"  
  
Fox laughed at her sudden curiosity and reached into his bag.  
  
"Well...." He smiled jokingly. "I made sure to pick up your chips, and your double chocolate ice-cream...with a hint of fudge."  
  
"Oooooh, yummy!" She happily squealed.  
  
"But that's not all." He mischievously looked back into his bag. "It was quite amazing that I managed to get this. I didn't think the store would have it, but surprisingly it did."  
  
"What is it?" She tried to peak behind his back.  
  
"It's pizza...with extra cheese, onions, and believe it or not...little bits of fish!" He made a face and handed it to her.  
  
"Oh my gosh, are you serious!" She excitedly grinned. "That's amazing!"  
  
"No, you're amazing for wanting all of this!" He laughed, as she already began to indulge in the ice-cream."  
  
"Mmmm, this is so good!" She smiled. "But do you know what would go great with this?"  
  
"Hmm..let me guess," He reached behind his back and pulled out a bottle of pickles and mayonnaise."  
  
"How did you know?" She giggled.  
  
"It was another interesting thing that I happened to read." He reached for a chip, but instead received a playful slap on his hand.  
  
"Hey! I'm eating for three now," she giggled and winked at him.  
  
"Speaking of the twins, have you thought about what their sexes are going to be?"  
  
"Actually, I'm pretty sure that they are going to be girls. I read on the internet that if a mother is craving a lot of sweets, her chances of having a girl are pretty big." She smiled, holding up the tub of ice cream.  
  
"I see. Well I hope they are boys. Then we can put them into soccer!" He laughed. "We already know that they are very good kickers!"  
  
"Yes they are!" Theresa laughed, suddenly hearing a small knock on the door. "Come in!"  
  
Paloma peaked into the room and smiled when she saw who was with her sister.  
  
"Fox!" She grinned. "I thought I heard you! What are you doing here so late?"  
  
"Well, your sister called me over because she was having weird pregnancy cravings." He chuckled, receiving a punch from Theresa.  
  
"They are not weird!" She laughed. "Here sis, come sit with us!"  
  
Paloma sat on Theresa's bed and listened quietly as she and Fox continued to talk about the twins.  
  
"So, what about names?" Fox asked her. "I think Nicholas is quite nice, don't you?"  
  
"Yes, but not suitable for a girl." Theresa laughed. "I was thinking more along the lines of Maggie or Lacy."  
  
They continued exchanging names, as Paloma grew annoyed. Suddenly she couldn't take it anymore.  
  
"I'm sorry, I don't mean to be rude." She interrupted. "But shouldn't baby names be something that the mother and father discuss? Why are you talking about it with Fox, if he isn't even the father Theresa?"  
  
"Um, Paloma...I don't think—" Theresa began to say, but Fox interrupted her.  
  
"You know what? That's ok Theresa because Paloma's probably right. I'm not the father. You should actually be discussing this stuff with Ethan." He blurted out.  
  
Theresa could see that he was obviously hurt, as he rose from her bed.  
  
"Fox wait, where are you going?" She looked up at him.  
  
"I'm going to head home. Besides, it's almost five and you and those angels of yours need some sleep."  
  
He hurriedly grabbed his bag and made his way out the window.  
  
"I'll see you girls tomorrow." He weakly smiled, descending down the ladder.  
  
Theresa sadly closed her eyes before looking over at Paloma.  
  
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to get him so upset." She tried to look sincere.  
  
"That's ok Paloma." Theresa sadly smiled.  
  
"I guess I'll go back to bed. Again, I'm really sorry sis." She frowned, closing the door behind her.  
  
Out in the hallway, she smiled to herself.  
  
"I'm sorry I ruined your fun Theresa, but it's time that Fox spent less of his time thinking about your kids with Ethan and more on me. I said that I would do everything to make him mine, and I meant it."  
  
She turned the corner and went back to her room.  
  
As soon as Paloma left, Theresa wiped a tear from her eye.  
  
"Things were going to well," she sighed. "We were having so much fun."  
  
Suddenly she heard a knock on her window and smiled when she saw it was Fox.  
  
"Fox!" she beamed. "You came back!"  
  
"Yeah, I forgot my jacket." He smiled. "Can you hand it to me?"  
  
"Oh, yeah sure." She sadly picked it up and gave it to him.  
  
"Thanks." He was about to leave, but she stopped him.  
  
"Fox?" she placed a hand on his arm. "I hope your not that mad by what Paloma said."  
  
He sadly looked down before meeting her gaze.  
  
"Nah," He lied, sitting on her windowsill. "It just hurt a bit, you know?"  
  
"I know," She placed a hand to his chin. "But I want you to know how much I appreciate what you did tonight. It was really sweet and I'll never forget it."  
  
"Well it was my pleasure." He smiled, looking into her eyes. "You know I'd do anything for you right?"  
  
She smiled as his familiar words rang in her ears.  
  
"Yeah, I know." She whispered.  
  
She suddenly noticed him get uncomfortable as he cleared his throat.  
  
"Anyways, you should get some sleep." He smiled.  
  
"Ok," she whispered. "Good-night Fox."  
  
"Good-night." He winked at her, climbing down the ladder.  
  
Theresa closed the window and went back to her bed, pulling the covers over herself. She closed her eyes and smiled, knowing that everything was going to be just fine. 


	26. Hurtful Actions

CH 25-Hurtful Actions  
  
"Ahhh, this is the life! Relaxing, eating junk food, and chilling with one of my buddies watching the game!" Fox grinned over at Luis.  
  
"You got that right, and best of all, NO WOMEN!! Mama isn't here and Paloma went out with her friends, so it's just us boys tonight!!" He laughed, taking a sip of his coke.  
  
"Shhhh," Fox chuckled, glancing up at the stairs. "Your sister will hear us. Plus if she smells any of this food, she'll definitely ask me to get her some."  
  
Luis laughed, remembering how crazy his mother's cravings were when she was pregnant with Miguel.  
  
"How is Theresa by the way?" He looked over at Fox.  
  
"She's ok. Besides the morning sickness, the sudden mood swings, and these recent crazy cravings of hers, I'd say she's doing just great!" He smiled tiredly.  
  
"I hear you buddy!" Luis grinned. "You've definitely been helping her out a lot. I gotta hand it to you though. After our last talk, I didn't think you were going to stick around."  
  
"Yeah well, I didn't want her to have to go through this alone. With Ethan in the hospital, she needed someone to be there for her. Although I was upset with her, apart of me still cared about her and I couldn't let her suffer like that."  
  
"You're a good man, Fox." Luis smiled over at him. "Are you sure you're a Crane?"  
  
"Yeah, I surprise myself sometimes." He smiled, turning his attention to the game.  
  
"You and your aunt are probably the only good ones left of that rotten family." He cursed underneath his breath. "The Cranes, specifically Alistair, have done nothing but cause my family pain. There's no doubt in my mind that he had something to do with my father's disappearance. He's even tried countless times to destroy me and Sheridan's relationship."  
  
"Yeah, Theresa told me that you think Alistair tried to kill her on more than one occasion." Fox looked over at him.  
  
"You're damn right I do." Luis looked at him sternly. "Alistair feels threatened by our relationship, because he knows that I have a good chance of finding out all his dirty secrets. But I don't care what he does; I'm never going to let him take Sheridan away from me. She's my world and I will fight for her with all that I have."  
  
"Love is definitely worth fighting for." Fox admitted. "It's just not easy sometimes."  
  
"No it's not, but if you truly love someone you will never let anything come between the love that you two share." Luis looked over Fox, hoping that he realized he was referring to his relationship with Theresa.  
  
Fox just nodded in response and kept his gaze on the television screen.  
  
Luis looked at his watch and sighed.  
  
"Sorry man, it looks like we may have to end this bonding moment shortly." He stood up from the couch. "I have to go over to Sheridan's to go pick up mama. She went over there to try and show my cooking-challenged wife how to make some Spanish dishes. Sheridan insists on cooking for me one of these days, so I have to go over there to make sure that she hasn't burnt down the cottage."  
  
"Ok man, good luck!" Fox called, as Luis headed out the door. "Knowing my aunt's cooking skills, you're going to need it!"  
  
He heard Luis laugh as he closed the door behind him.  
  
"I guess I should go check on Sleeping Beauty." He smiled to himself, glancing at the stairwell.  
  
He got up from the couch and made his way up the stairs. When he got to Theresa's room, he gently pushed the door open and peaked in. She was supposed to be sound asleep but instead she was fussily tossing and turning.  
  
"Theresa, what's the matter?" He asked, approaching her bed. "I was expecting you to be fast asleep by now."  
  
"Well I would be if I could only get into a comfortable position!" She whined, close to tears. "I don't know what is wrong with them, but the twins keep kicking and it's preventing me from falling asleep! I'm so tired, and these stupid pillows aren't doing their job because my back is killing me! I swear to god Fox, if I don't get some sleep soon, I am going to explode!"  
  
"Alright honey, calm down." He tried to soothe her. "Let Dr. Fox take care of everything."  
  
He carefully lifted her to a sitting position and got behind her. Letting her lean back on his chest, he gently massaged her lower back.  
  
"How does that feel?" He softly asked her.  
  
"That feels nice." She smiled, closing her eyes. "I'm sorry I yelled at you."  
  
"It's ok," He grinned, kissing her temple. "I know you didn't mean it." "It's just that this whole pregnancy thing is hard, and I'm so scared that it isn't going to get any easier." She sighed.  
  
"What do you mean?" He looked down at her.  
  
"Well, I've never been a mother before and I guess I'm just scared that I won't be good at it. What if I can't calm the babies down when they start crying? Or what if they get sick? How will I know what to do to make them feel better? I mean, the twins aren't even born yet, and I can't get a decent night's sleep. What's going to happen when they are born? I'll never get any sleep then!" Theresa began to panic.  
  
"Oh my gosh, Theresa are you serious?" Fox looked at her in disbelief. "I can't believe that you are worrying about this. Honey, you are going to do fine! I've never met a more caring and compassionate person than you. Those twins are going to be lucky to have you as their mother. As for not being able to calm them down when they start crying, I know that you will have no problem with that. With your smile, those twins will calm down in an instant. And as for when they get sick, you know you have Dr. Russell nearby. She is an amazing doctor and you can bet that she will give the twins the proper care when they aren't feeling well. Plus, you have me. Whenever you feel like taking a break from the twins, you can always drop them off with me and I'll be happy to do the baby-sitting thing! So don't worry that pretty little head of yours. Everything will be fine."  
  
Fox stopped rubbing her back and slipped from under her. He fluffed the pillows and laid Theresa back down.  
  
"Now I'm not sure about when the twins are born, but for now I think I can take care of your sleeping problem." He winked, grabbing a nearby chair.  
  
He placed a hand on her tummy and smiled.  
  
"Hey guys, it's your uncle Fox. How are you two doing in there?" He paused a moment, as if the twins had responded. "Well now that I have your attention, I have a question for you. Why won't you two let your mommy get some sleep? She's really tired, and you guys are having way too much fun in there. So unfortunately, I have to crash your little party. So put down your baby refreshments and rest your little heads because it's bed time."  
  
Theresa giggled as she admiringly watched him continue.  
  
"So here's the deal. I'm going to tell you a bedtime story. That way, you guys can rest and your mommy can finally get her beauty sleep, not that she needs it." He smiled, winking at her.  
  
He cleared his throat, and began telling his story.  
  
"There once was a happy couple, and they were absolutely in love with each other. No matter what they did or where they were, they always had a good time because they were together. They had even dreamed about one day getting married and having children. But until then, they decided to just enjoy each other's company. Things were going so well between them that they couldn't imagine ever parting. However, one day a dark cloud rested above their heads and refused to go away. This cloud was filled with pain and suffering and it brought destruction to those under it. Soon, the happy couple wasn't so happy anymore and they had to part. But they found that even though they were apart, their love kept bringing them back together. It was as if an invisible force was preventing them from being separate. Soon they realized that their love was stronger than they knew and that no matter what problems came their way, they would always find their way back to each other."  
  
Fox smiled and looked up at a teary-eyed Theresa. She just stared at him as he gently rubbed a finger over her tummy.  
  
"I think they're asleep now." He looked up at her.  
  
"Yeah, I think you're right." She whispered, filled with emotion.  
  
"Why don't you try and go back to sleep." He rose from the chair. "I'll go downstairs and get you some warm milk. That should actually help you a little more."  
  
"Ok, thank you." She smiled, still stunned by his story.  
  
He returned her grin and quietly left the room. As soon as he closed the door, Theresa grabbed the phone next to her and dialed Whitney's number.  
  
"Hi Whit?" She excitedly said, when she heard her friend's voice. "Oh my gosh, you'll never guess what Fox just did!"  
  
"What Theresa? What did he do?" Whitney giggled at her friend's eagerness.  
  
"I couldn't fall asleep so he decided to read the twins a bedtime story, only the story was a reflection of our relationship." She explained. "I swear to you Whit, if I wasn't sure then I am definitely sure now. Fox has definitely forgiven me for sleeping with Ethan! That story said it all! He loves me again!"  
  
"Theresa," Whitney sighed.  
  
"What's the matter? Aren't you happy for me?" She frowned.  
  
"Of course I am honey. But even if Fox has forgiven you, things have not changed. You are still pregnant with Ethan's children. You and Fox may have a good relationship now but once Ethan wakes up things are gong to be different." Whitney reminded her.  
  
"I'll deal with that when it happens Whit." She simply responded. "Right now, I just want to concentrate on getting Fox back."  
  
"Theresa the way you're talking, it's as if you don't even want Ethan to come out of his coma."  
  
"Whitney, how can you say that?" She frowned. "Of course I want Ethan to come out of his coma. What kind of monster do you think I am?"  
  
"Well honey, all your talking about is getting back together with Fox and the only way that that can happen is if Ethan is out of the picture. Is that what you really want? For Ethan to stay in his coma, just so you and Fox can be together?"  
  
Theresa just held the phone to her ear dumbfounded, as her friend's words struck a nerve. Could Whitney be right? Was she really that horrible?  
  
Meanwhile, downstairs Fox was getting her milk ready in the kitchen. He poured the milk into a glass and placed it in the microwave to warm up. As he waited, he thought about how close him and Theresa were becoming. After everything that happened, he was glad that they could still be as close as they were with each other. He couldn't hide it any longer. The love was still there and he constantly felt it from her too. Sometimes it was as if nothing bad had happened between them and everything was the way it was before. He longed to hold her in his arms again, just like he used to before this whole mess happened.  
  
"But that can't happen Fox. It's impossible." He reminded himself. "Theresa is still pregnant with Ethan's children. Nothing is going to change that."  
  
He smiled as he imagined them together again. If only that day could actually come. He grabbed the milk from the microwave and left the kitchen. As he made his way up the stairs, he softly blew across the glass in attempts to cool the milk. When he placed his hand on the doorknob, he heard Theresa voice.  
  
"She's probably talking to Whitney." He smiled.  
  
He was just about to walk in and jokingly scold her, when something that she said caught his attention. He stood quietly at the door and listened as she continued.  
  
"Whitney, I'm glad that Ethan is the father of the twins. I've loved him since I was a little girl. Of course I don't regret getting pregnant by him. Honestly, I couldn't ask for a better father for the twins. Ethan is an amazing person..."  
  
Fox immediately felt as though he had been punched in the stomach. He tightened his fists together so hard, that he almost shattered the glass. Cursing underneath his breath, he placed the glass near the door and went back downstairs. He could feel his legs shaking beneath him as he rushed down the stairs, taking them two at a time. Grabbing his jacket he stormed through the front door and got into his car.  
  
He was so angry that he didn't even stay to hear Theresa finish her conversation with Whitney.  
  
"...But you're right Whit, sometimes I wish that Fox was the father of the twins. He has been so supportive lately and I love him for it. He acts like the twins are his own by the way that he talks to them and touches my stomach. Just a couple days ago, he was saying how the twins are going to have the coolest uncle ever. And although he seemed happy to say that, I know that in his heart he wishes that he was their father and so do I. But as you said, I have to accept that it can't happen that way. Ethan is the father and once he wakes up, I have to come to terms with that. But until then, I want to spend as much time with Fox as possible. He has become such an important part of my life and I could never repay him for all the kindness that he has shown me."  
  
Suddenly Theresa realized that Fox had been down in the kitchen for quite a while.  
  
"Whitney, I'll call you back. I'm going to go see what's taking Fox so long." She hung up the phone and carefully got out of bed.  
  
She was just about to go downstairs when she noticed the glass of milk by her door.  
  
"What is that doing there?" She asked herself puzzled.  
  
She went downstairs and yelled Fox's name but got no response. Just when she was about to go crazy, she peered out the window and realized that there was no car in the driveway.  
  
"His car's gone." She said out loud. "I wonder where he went?"  
  
----------------------------------------------  
  
Fox tightened his grip on the steering wheel as he felt his pulse rate increase. He glanced down at the speed meter as the needle climbed to a dangerous level. Pounding his fists hard on the wheel, he cursed underneath his breath.  
  
"Damn it Fox, why did you have to fall for it again?" He yelled at himself through clenched teeth. "You always think that she loves you, when it's so obvious she's still wrapped up with Ethan!"  
  
Snow suddenly dropped down fiercely on his windshield, as he glanced once more at the increasing meter.  
  
"Ok Fox, just because you're pissed doesn't mean you have to go kill yourself." He said out loud, slowing down the car.  
  
He wiped the window with his hand and peered outside to see where he was. A few blocks away he made out what looked like a bar. Swerving the car into the driveway, he got out and went inside. As soon as he got comfortable he began to indulge in drink after drink.  
  
"Having a rough night son?" The bartender came over to him.  
  
"Yeah, you could say that." He grumpily mumbled. "But how about you concentrate on keeping the refreshments coming and less on trying to find out my business?"  
  
The bartender offensively left him alone and attended to other customers, while Fox indulged in another drink. He was so distracted, that he didn't even notice that Paloma was in the same bar sitting at a table with friends, not too far away. As soon as she saw him, she immediately came over.  
  
"Fox? Is that you?" She asked. "I thought I recognized you?"  
  
He glanced up from his drink and looked over his shoulder to see who was talking to him. When he realized that it was Paloma, he annoyingly rolled his eyes.  
  
"Oh, well if it isn't Theresa's baby sister!" He smirked.  
  
"I'm not a baby Fox," She smiled.  
  
"Well, you're definitely not old enough to be in place like this!" He yelled, as the bartender shot him a look.  
  
"Fox, what are you doing?" She exclaimed. "Do you want to get me and my friends kicked out of here?"  
  
"I don't care." He mumbled, finishing the last bit of his beer. "Hey garcon! Would you care to do me the honors?"  
  
He motioned for the bartender to give him another drink, as Paloma watched on.  
  
"Fox, are you ok?" She concernedly asked. "You don't look so good."  
  
"What are you my doctor now?" He rudely responded.  
  
"No, I'm just worried about you." She offensively looked at him.  
  
"Well, thanks but no thanks! Why don't you just go back to your little friends and leave me alone!" He barked.  
  
"What the hell is wrong with you?" She yelled, close to tears. "I was just trying to help!"  
  
"Well I don't need your help!" He shot back.  
  
"Fine!" She screamed, and headed in the opposite direction.  
  
He quickly grabbed her arm and gently pulled her back in front of him.  
  
"Paloma, I'm sorry." He sincerely apologized. "I don't know what the hell is wrong with me. I'm just having a rough night."  
  
For a moment she just looked at him.  
  
"Well do you want to talk about it?" She asked hesitantly.  
  
"Yeah, I'd like that." He smiled, getting up from the stool.  
  
After paying for his drinks, he took Paloma for a nice long walk. Eventually he found himself at a spot that he used to go to when he was young. He had never been there with anyone, until now.  
  
Paloma followed him through a woodsy path surrounded by many trees and rocks. Eventually the path ended and Fox stopped.  
  
"What is this place?" She asked, coming up behind him.  
  
When she stood beside him, she finally saw the beauty of his secret hiding place. She didn't even realize that they were up so high, but as she stood there looking over the beautiful landscape a smile appeared across her face.  
  
"Oh my gosh, this is beautiful!" She grinned, amazed.  
  
"Yeah, I used to come here when I was a little boy." He told her, sitting on a nearby rock. "It used to soothe my thoughts. Whenever I came here, I felt completely free and peaceful. Nobody ever knew about it, until now."  
  
"You mean, you've never taken anyone up here?" She looked at him shocked. "Not even my sister?"  
  
"Nope," he smiled. "You're the first one."  
  
"Wow," she giggled. "I feel so honored."  
  
He laughed and invited her to sit down next to him. The snow had stopped, and a foggy mist filled the air. Although it was a little chilly, they barely felt the cool breeze. They spent the next few hours talking about different things. It was as if they had been friends forever.  
  
"Fox, have you ever thought about finding that one special someone?" She turned to him.  
  
He took a moment before he answered, as he thought about Theresa.  
  
"Yeah," he smiled. "In fact, I actually thought I found her... but I was mistaken."  
  
"Oh really? How come?"  
  
"I don't know." He shrugged. "I guess it just wasn't meant to be."  
  
"It must be nice though." She smiled, staring of into the distance. "To find that one person that was meant for you. I hope there's someone one out there for me."  
  
"Of course there is Paloma." He looked over at her. "You're sweet, caring and beautiful. There's not a guy in this world that wouldn't fall head over heels for you."  
  
"Thanks Fox." She smiled, once again turning her attention to the sparkling lights below.  
  
He took the time to look at her and grinned. With the cool wind blowing through her hair, she looked absolutely beautiful. For a split second, he even thought he say a little bit of Theresa in her face.  
  
"Do you know you look a lot like your sister?" He moved closer to her.  
  
"I do?" She asked surprised.  
  
"Yeah. You have the same gorgeous brown eyes...and hair...and beautiful smile..." He whispered, lightly brushing a finger over her lips.  
  
He gently ran a hand through her hair and pulled her close to him, as their lips met into a sweet and blissful kiss. 


	27. Wishful Thinking

CH. 26- Wishful Thinking  
  
Fox whizzed by the streets of Harmony, as he made his way over to the Lopez- Fitzgerald household. He ran a hand through his hair and sighed, thinking about the events of the last two days. Ever since he had heard Theresa admit that she still had strong feelings for Ethan, he had been avoiding his regular visits with her. It was as if a part of him refused to have any sort of connection with her. Hearing her admit her feelings for Ethan, hurt him more than ever. Although Fox was aware that she still cared for Ethan, he had secretly wished that she would forget about him, and want to renew their relationship. But after hearing her true feelings, he was convinced that whatever he thought was rekindling between them, must have been his imagination. Theresa was in love with Ethan. She was having his children and because of that there was no room for Fox in her life.  
  
He miserably leaned his head back as he stopped at a traffic light.  
  
"Hey what's wrong?" Paloma asked him, noticing the troubled expression on his face.  
  
Fox turned his head over to the passenger seat and smiled.  
  
"Oh nothing, I just have a bit of a headache."  
  
"Awww, well you can rest when we get to my house." She smiled, gently rubbing the back of his neck.  
  
"Ok." He quietly said, keeping his stare on the road.  
  
An instant lump arose in his throat, as he thought about seeing Theresa. He knew it would be weird for her to see him, especially since he had disappeared for two days. To suddenly see him on her doorstep and much less with her little sister, would definitely arise some questions.  
  
"My family is going to be so surprised to see what we've brought them." Paloma interrupted his thoughts. "It was so sweet of you to help me get them this tree for Christmas. Everyone's been so distracted by everything that has happened lately, that I'm sure they've even forgotten that Christmas is less than a week away.  
  
"Well it was my pleasure." He smiled at her. "So have you figured out what you want for your birthday yet?"  
  
A mischievous smile suddenly appeared on her face.  
  
"Uh oh," Fox laughed. "I'm afraid to ask."  
  
She giggled loudly, and snuggled closer to him.  
  
"I'm just joking. I don't want a single thing from you. You've already given me the best present there is."  
  
"Oh yeah, what's that?" He looked down at her.  
  
"You." She smiled, kissing him on his cheek. "I'm so happy that we're together. Being with you is all that I need."  
  
She rested her head on his shoulder, as a worried expression flashed across his face. Fox was glad that he made her so happy, but he wasn't so sure that them being together was what he really wanted.  
  
He still felt extremely confused when it came to his potential relationship with Paloma. Although being with her made him happy, he couldn't help but think that his feelings for her were more directed towards comfort than actual affection. Being hurt by Theresa made him feel vulnerable and weak; so weak that he allowed himself to find comfort in her little sister. He wasn't proud of it. In fact, it made him feel horrible to realize just how unfair he was being to her. It was obvious that she had strong feelings for him and playing with her emotions was not right. Paloma was a great girl, but he wasn't sure that she was the one for him; like Theresa was.  
  
"I can't wait for tomorrow, when we tell everyone about us." Paloma excitedly grinned. "I think out of everyone, Theresa will be the happiest to hear that we are now a couple. She's the only one who knew how much I liked you. She will be so happy to know that her little sister and her best friend are going to be Harmony's newest and cutest couple!"  
  
Fox weakly smiled at Paloma's over-excitement.  
  
If it's anyone, Theresa would be the least person who would be happy about their upcoming news. In fact, there was a good chance that she would hate him more than anything for it.  
  
"So where do you think we should go on our first date with Ethan and Theresa?" Paloma asked him.  
  
"What?" He looked at her. "Ethan and Theresa?"  
  
"Yeah," she smiled. "Once Ethan wakes up, you and I can go on a double date with them. It'll be so much fun!"  
  
The thought of watching Theresa and Ethan together made him sick to his stomach.  
  
"Yeah, I can't wait." He smiled through clenched teeth.  
  
Suddenly he felt a burning rage inside of him.  
  
I can't believe I was actually starting to feel bad for what our news might do to Theresa. Fox thought to himself. She deserves whatever is coming to her after the hurt that she caused me.  
  
He angrily tightened his fists around the steering wheel.  
  
She made me think that she actually wanted to be with me again, when her heart belonged to Ethan the entire time. He thought to himself.  
  
"Well enough is enough." He whispered, so Paloma couldn't hear him. "You can't keep letting her do this to you Fox. You can't keep letting her hurt you this way."  
  
Keeping his stare on the road, he made a solemn promise to himself.  
  
From now on things were going to be different between him and Theresa. He was still going to help her through her pregnancy like he promised, but it would strictly be for the benefit of the twins. He would not let himself become weak with feelings for her. He had to force himself to forget about her, just like she had forgotten about him. As far as having a future with Paloma, he wasn't sure about that. But one thing was clear; he was not going to let Theresa hurt him any longer. He had to find a way to make the pain go away. And if starting a relationship with her little sister was the only way to do that, then that is exactly was he was going to do.  
  
--------------------------------------------------  
  
"Mama, where's the box with the Christmas decorations?" Miguel called from the living room.  
  
"They are in the hallway closet Mijo, why do you ask?" Pilar poked her head out the kitchen.  
  
"Well, I just realized that it's around this time that we start to decorate for Christmas." He smiled.  
  
"That's right little bro!" Luis grinned. "I totally forgot."  
  
"My goodness, with all the planning for Paloma's birthday tomorrow, it completely slipped my mind." Pilar bashfully laughed. "Well you three can start on that right now. I still have to finish making Paloma's cake."  
  
"No problem." Miguel looked over at his brother. "Luis, why don't you help me with the boxes?"  
  
"Sure thing," Luis rose from the couch. "Theresa, aren't you going to help?"  
  
"What?" A distracted Theresa looked up. "Did you say something Luis?"  
  
"Yeah, I was asking if you were going to come help us put up some Christmas decorations." He looked at her concerned.  
  
"Oh, you guys can go ahead." She frowned. "I don't really feel up to it."  
  
"Theresa c'mon," He came over to her. "Look, I know you're worried about Fox but I'm sure everything is fine. He probably just had something that he had to attend to."  
  
"For two days?" She looked at him doubtfully. "Without calling?"  
  
"Ok I admit, that is a little strange." Luis rubbed his forehead. "But if it really were something serious, don't you think we would have heard by now? Fox is a Crane. If something happened to him, it would have been broadcasted all over the news."  
  
"I guess you're right." Theresa sighed.  
  
She reluctantly followed her brother to the centre of the living room, where Miguel had already started to assemble the decorations. She looked into one of the boxes and pulled out one of the angel ornaments. She held it in her hand, as her mind wandered on Fox once more.  
  
Theresa still couldn't understand why Fox had left so suddenly that night. She was so sure that they had made a strong connection after he had told the twins his story. It was as if he was secretly trying to tell her that he was willing to give their relationship another try. She could still remember feeling so relieved that he had decided to give her another chance. It was like she had been granted another opportunity to show Fox how much she loved him. That's why it shocked her when he left so suddenly. Theresa had even tried calling him but whenever she did, his phone would just ring out. She even wondered if he was upset with her, but she could never figure out why.  
  
"Things were going so well that night Fox." She whispered to herself. "I can't think of a single thing that would have upset you."  
  
It had crossed her mind several times, and she tried to make it go away. But lately she had been having the strongest feeling that someone or something was trying to come between them. It was as if their relationship was suddenly different, but she couldn't figure out what could have initiated that change.  
  
"Good morning family!" Paloma suddenly poked her head through the front door. "I have a surprise for you!"  
  
"Hey sis," Luis smiled, briefly looking up from the garland he was stringing on the stair railing.  
  
At the sound of her daughter's voice, Pilar immediately came out of the kitchen.  
  
"Paloma, there you are! You left in such a rush this morning. Where have you been?" She worriedly asked.  
  
"I'm sorry Mama, I didn't mean to leave so suddenly." Paloma apologized, easing her way into the doorway. "But I am sure that you all will forgive me, once you've seen what I've brought you."  
  
"Well out with it already!" Miguel laughed at his sister's excitement.  
  
"I got us a Christmas tree!" She happily squealed. "I figured that everyone forgot about getting one, with everything that's been going on lately. So I took the liberty of doing it myself!"  
  
"Are you serious?" Luis quickly came over to her. "You got a Christmas tree, by yourself?"  
  
"Well no," She mischievously smiled. "I did have a little help."  
  
She stepped aside, so the rest of them could see who had helped her.  
  
"Hey everyone," Fox smiled, stepping into the house. "You guys should see the tree. It's huge!"  
  
"Hey stranger!" Luis beamed, giving his friend a pat on the back. "Where have you been? It's like you disappeared off the face of the earth!"  
  
"No, I just had some business that I had to attend to." Fox responded, avoiding Theresa's eyes.  
  
"Woah, look at the size of that thing!" Miguel exclaimed, catching a glimpse of the tree in the back of Fox's car."  
  
"I know, isn't it beautiful?" Paloma excitedly squealed. "Come on, let's go bring it into the house!"  
  
They all rushed outside to get the tree, leaving Fox and Theresa alone in the living room.  
  
Theresa didn't even seem to notice the tree outside. She was still in complete shock from when Fox first appeared in the doorway. Immediate chills ran through her whole body at the sight of him. It was as if she was seeing him for the first time. She was so ecstatic to see him that she wanted to run over and give him the biggest hug ever. But for some reason, he didn't seem to feel the same way. For one thing, he wasn't even looking at her. He just continued to look out the window as if she wasn't even in the room.  
  
"Fox?" She finally said, confused by his behavior.  
  
He turned around and gave her an awkward smile.  
  
"Oh, hey Theresa," He came over and sat next to her on the couch. "You should really see that tree, it's amazing. It's going to look great in here."  
  
For a moment she just looked at him, amazed by how much interest he was taking in a simple tree.  
  
"That's really great Fox." Theresa paused. "But isn't there something that you want to tell me, like where you've been?"  
  
"Oh that's right, I guess I do kind of owe you an explanation." He looked at her. "That night when I went to get you your milk, I received a very important phone call from a friend that I know. It turns out there's this problem with the project that we were working on. So I had to get down there right away."  
  
"And you couldn't come back upstairs and tell me that?" She strangely looked into his eyes.  
  
"Yeah, I'm sorry about that. I guess I was just really distracted by the telephone call." He simply said, trying his best not to look at her.  
  
"That's ok," she slowly said still confused. "It's just that I was really worried about you."  
  
"I really wish you wouldn't have. I'm fine." He smiled. "But how are you doing? Are the babies still keeping you up?"  
  
"No, actually they've seemed to settle down." She placed a hand on his arm. "That story must have really helped."  
  
"Yeah," He mumbled unemotionally, as he slowly rose from the couch.  
  
Theresa blankly stared at him and placed a hand to her forehead.  
  
Why is he acting like this? She thought to herself. I was so sure that mentioning the story would have reminded him of how close we had gotten that night. But he's acting as though it meant nothing to him.  
  
"Um Fox—" she began, but was suddenly interrupted.  
  
"Ok keep coming!" Paloma directed Luis and Miguel into the living room. "Move a little to your left! Ok now a little to your right! Perfect! Set it down right there!"  
  
Everyone laughed at how excited Paloma was getting.  
  
"Oh, it looks beautiful!" She smiled.  
  
"Paloma there's nothing on it!" Luis laughed.  
  
"I know, I know!" She giggled. "I'm sorry if I'm over excited, but I'm just so happy! My birthday is tomorrow, and Christmas is a few days away! I'm so happy that I'll be spending my two favorite days of the year with my family!"  
  
"We're happy too sis," Miguel smiled giving Paloma a hug. "This is going to be our first Christmas all together."  
  
"I know! That's why it's so exciting!" She squealed. "And I have the greatest news to tell all of you!"  
  
"There's more!" Luis mockingly laughed. "Well what is it!"  
  
"You'll have to wait until tomorrow. That's when I decided to tell everyone!" She mischievously smiled.  
  
"Why tomorrow? Can't you just tell us now?" Pilar asked her daughter.  
  
"Nope!" Paloma giggled. "I want to share it with you on my birthday."  
  
"This must be some surprise." Pilar smiled.  
  
"It is. It's the best surprise ever!" She excitedly went over to the box filled with the decorations. "Now let's start decorating this tree!"  
  
They all laughed and joined her, while Theresa took Fox's hand and quietly led him into the kitchen. When they were alone, she turned to him and looked and him with serious eyes.  
  
"Fox is everything alright?" She worriedly asked him.  
  
"What do you mean?" He darted around her and got a glass from the cupboard.  
  
"Well you're acting really weird." She stared at his back. "Are you mad at me or something because I still find it really strange at how suddenly you left that night?"  
  
"Theresa I told you, I had to attend to a friend!" He snapped. "I'm sorry that I didn't tell you, but like I said I must've gotten distracted!"  
  
Theresa couldn't believe how upset he was getting.  
  
"Ok, ok I believe you." She tried to calm him down. "It's just that you seem so different all of a sudden and I'm worried."  
  
"Well you really shouldn't be wasting your concern on me. You should be concentrating on the twins and their health." He came over and placed a hand on her stomach. "I don't want you to stress yourself about me and in the process create complications for your pregnancy. Remember what Dr. Russell said about staying clear from stress. I would never forgive myself if anything happened to the twins as a result of your concern for me."  
  
For a split second, Fox felt himself fill with affection for her, but he stopped it right away.  
  
Theresa was about to say something, but he interrupted her.  
  
"I'm going to go see if I can help with any decorating. Are you coming?" He looked over his shoulder.  
  
"Um yeah, I'll be there in a second." She softly said.  
  
When he left, she sat down at the table and placed a hand to her forehead.  
  
"What's going on between us?" She whispered to herself. "I'm almost convinced that something is not right. It's like he feels nothing for me anymore. But how can that be, when two days ago I felt like we were actually making some progress towards getting back together. It just doesn't make sense."  
  
Theresa wiped away the tear that had fallen down her cheek and headed back into the living room. As soon as she stepped into the room, she felt her heart skip a beat as she looked over at Fox and Paloma. They were standing awfully close to each other, and giggling about something that Theresa couldn't make out."  
  
"What is going on here?" She whispered to herself.  
  
Suddenly images of Fox and Paloma kissing in the kitchen flashed in her memory. Instant tears stung her eyes as she continued to watch them. A thousand fears rushed through her mind as she thought the worst. She was so concentrated that she barely felt her mother place a hand on her shoulder.  
  
"Therasita, are you alright?" Pilar concernedly asked. "You don't look so well?"  
  
"Oh yeah mama, I'm fine." She obviously lied, keeping her stare on Fox and Paloma.  
  
Pilar followed her gaze and quickly realized what had gotten her so upset.  
  
"Therasita please don't do this to yourself." She turned her daughter around to face her. "I know that you have your concerns when it comes to Fox and your sister, but you don't know anything for sure. So I am begging you to stop worrying, for the sake of your health and the babies."  
  
"Ok mama, I will." Theresa smiled at her mother.  
  
She placed a hand on her tummy and once more looked up at Fox and her sister.  
  
"I have to stop making these false accusations for the sake of my children. There is nothing going on between Fox and Paloma." She confidently whispered to herself. "At least I hope not." 


	28. It's A Girl!

CH 27- It's a Girl!  
  
Theresa nervously bounced her leg up and down, as she impatiently waited in the doctor's waiting room. She glanced at her watch and let out a deep breath in order to calm herself down. Visiting the doctor for her regular checkups always made her uneasy, even though the results had always been positive. Dr. Anderson had always given Theresa good news concerning the twins whenever she came for an ultra sound, but before every visit she couldn't help but worry. Dr. Russell had made it extremely clear as to how fragile her pregnancy was and how easy it was for complications to arise if she underwent any stressful situations. The thought of anything bad happening to the twins frightened her to death which is why she was being extremely careful not work herself up, though at times it was not easy. Ever so often she found herself worrying about Fox and how distant he was acting towards her. It was pretty obvious that things had changed between them, but the reason for that was beyond Theresa's imagination. His feelings for her seemed like they literally changed over night, and whenever she asked him about it he always found a way to change the subject. She tried not to think about it often, but the truth was it worried her more than anything.  
  
"Hey are you ok?" Fox looked over at her, noticing the look of concern on her face. "You look kind of pale."  
  
"No, I'm ok." Theresa smiled, glancing at the seat next to her. "I'm just a little nervous about the ultrasound."  
  
Fox placed a hand on her lap and gave her leg a gentle squeeze.  
  
"Theresa, there's no need to worry. You're taking such good care of yourself that there is no way there is going to be anything wrong with the twins." He smiled lovingly at her. "Before you know it, those little angels will be born and we can finally begin spoiling them rotten."  
  
Theresa smiled at his comforting words and stared into his eyes.  
  
She loved how his eyes filled with so much admiration whenever he spoke about the twins. He loved them so much, and they weren't even in the world yet. Theresa knew that as soon as they were born Fox was going to be the most loving uncle. If only he could be more.  
  
Fox suddenly felt himself feel extremely uncomfortable as he continued to stare into Theresa's eyes. He forced himself to control his emotions as he reluctantly looked away.  
  
"Come on buddy, pull yourself together." He silently whispered to himself. "She doesn't love you. It's Ethan that she loves."  
  
Theresa sadly sighed as she noticed Fox look away.  
  
Why does he do that? She thought to herself. It seems like every time we make some kind of connection he pulls away. It's as though he is refusing to feel any type of love for me, but why? Why have things changed so much between us?  
  
"Excuse me, Theresa and Fox?" The secretary asked, interrupting Theresa's thoughts.  
  
"Uh, yes?" she looked up.  
  
"Dr. Anderson said that she's just finishing up with a patient, but that she will be ready to see you in the next five minutes."  
  
"Ok, thank you." Theresa smiled, placing a hand on her tummy.  
  
Fox watched as the worried expression returned to her eyes.  
  
"Everything is going to be fine." He reassuringly smiled at her.  
  
She looked up at him and grinned.  
  
"Thanks Fox." She looked into his eyes. "It makes me feel a lot better knowing that you are here."  
  
"No problem." He winked.  
  
Suddenly he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket, as he reached inside to answer it.  
  
"Hello?" He said into the receiver.  
  
Theresa watched as a smile crept into the corners of Fox's mouth. He suddenly looked over at her as he held the phone in his hands.  
  
"Um, I'll be right back." He whispered. "I have to take this."  
  
"Can't it wait?" She sadly frowned. "Dr. Anderson is going to call us in pretty soon."  
  
"It won't take long I promise." He slowly stood up. "I'll be back before you know it."  
  
He quickly disappeared around the corner, leaving Theresa alone in the waiting room.  
  
She let out a sigh and patiently waited for him to return.  
  
After a few minutes, Dr. Anderson came into the waiting room and said goodbye to her last patient.  
  
"Theresa?" she turned to her. "You can come in now."  
  
"Um..." Theresa mumbled, nervously looking down the hallway.  
  
"Is something wrong?" Dr. Anderson asked.  
  
"It's Fox." Theresa began. "He just went to take an important phone call, but he hasn't returned yet."  
  
"Well that's ok. The secretary will let him into the office once he gets back."  
  
"Ok," Theresa slowly smiled, reluctantly following the doctor into the office.  
  
Once inside, Dr. Anderson began the normal procedure of Theresa's checkup. After taking her blood pressure and checking all her vitals, she hooked up the ultrasound machine to take a look at the babies.  
  
"Well this is interesting," She smiled, moving the device smoothly against Theresa's tummy."  
  
"What is it Dr. Anderson, is something wrong with the twins?" Theresa nervously asked.  
  
"No not at all. In fact everything is really great!" The doctor smiled. "It's just that I think I can make out the sex of the babies."  
  
"Really?" Theresa happily squealed. "That's great! Well, what are they?"  
  
"Well, unfortunately I can only make out the sex of one of the twins because the other little one has its legs closed. But as for the one that I can see, it looks like you're going to have a little girl!"  
  
"A girl?" Theresa cried. "Oh my gosh, that's amazing! I can't wait to tell Fox!"  
  
"Congratulations," Dr. Anderson smiled. "Aside from not being able to see the sex of the other twin, everything looks good. You're doing everything right Theresa, keep up the good work!"  
  
"Thank you so much doctor. Fox is going to be so happy once he hears that I'm going to have a girl!" She smiled, but slowly frowned when she realized that he hadn't returned from his phone call.  
  
She quickly got dressed and made her way back into the waiting room, to see if Fox was there. However when she looked around, he was no where in sight.  
  
"Excuse me," She turned to the secretary. "Did Fox happen to come back?"  
  
"Uh no, I don't recall seeing him." The young woman responded.  
  
"Alright thanks." Theresa slowly walked out of the office.  
  
Looking down the hallway, she sighed.  
  
"I guess I'll go find him." She said to herself. "He couldn't have gone that far. Besides, I can't wait to tell him the great news!"  
  
(A.N: Hey guys!! We are soooooo sorry about our delay in continuing with the story. But Amanda went on a trip to Mexico and I didn't want to continue the story without her. But she's back now and so that means that we can finally continue to bring you more great chapters. Once again, we're really sorry but plz keep the reviews coming, we have lots of new ideas and we can't wait to put them into the story!!) 


	29. Surprises

CH 28- Surprises  
  
Just around the corner of the doctor's office, Fox continued his conversation on the phone.  
  
"Yeah baby, I'm really excited about later on too." He smiled into the receiver. "You're going to love what I got you."  
  
He grinned, as heard Paloma get really excited.  
  
"No way, I'm not telling you. You'll just have to wait until I get there."  
  
He slowly glanced up and noticed that Theresa was heading his way.  
  
"Uh Paloma I gotta go, Theresa's here." He quickly responded. "I miss you too. See you soon."  
  
He buried the phone into his pocket and made his way over to her.  
  
"Hey, how did everything go?" He asked, placing a hand on her shoulder.  
  
"It was good!" Theresa smiled. "Dr. Anderson said that the twins were doing great and I was doing everything right!"  
  
"See I told you!" He grinned, pulling her in for a hug. "I'm really sorry that I couldn't be there, but I really had to take that call."  
  
Fox closed his eyes as he felt a small twinge of guilt inside. Although he felt bad for lying to her, he knew that taking Paloma's call was the best thing for him to do. Lately he was finding it extremely difficult to forget about his feelings for Theresa. Whenever he tried, something would constantly remind him of the love that they once shared. At least by talking to Paloma, it helped to keep his mind of it. Fox was tired of being hurt by Theresa over and over again. This time he was determined to forget about her and finally move on with his life.  
  
"It's ok," she sadly smiled. "Besides I have the greatest news about the twins!"  
  
"Oh really, what is it?" He excitedly asked.  
  
"Well, Dr Anderson said that—"  
  
Suddenly the ringing of Fox's phone interrupted her.  
  
"I'm so sorry." He mouthed as he put the phone to his ear.  
  
Theresa annoyingly sighed as he once again answered the phone call.  
  
"Fox Crane," He said into the receiver. "Yes sir, I did—uh yes the purchase is going to be in my name but it is to be delivered to a Miss Paloma Lopez- Fitzgerald at the youth centre. Thank you very much, good bye."  
  
"Who was that?" Theresa asked as he hung up the phone.  
  
"Oh, it was just a gentleman confirming a gift I had planned to give Paloma tonight."  
  
"A gift?" Theresa looked at him confused. "You sure are putting a lot of effort into planning Paloma's birthday. Why is that?"  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"Well, it's just that you two just met a couple of months ago. I don't understand why you're going out of your way for someone that you hardly know." She explained, noticing a bit of anger in his voice.  
  
"Ok first of all, during these past couple of months Paloma and I have actually gotten a lot closer. Secondly, it's just a gift. Why are you acting like it's so wrong?"  
  
Theresa just looked at him speechless. In the back of her mind, she knew exactly why she seemed so suspicious. Ever since she had first seen her sister and Fox kissing in the kitchen, she couldn't help but think that there was something going on between the two of them. However, she forced herself to think otherwise for the sake of the twins, knowing that any type of stress could bring them harm. But the truth was Theresa couldn't bare it if her suspicions were right. The shock alone could do more damage to her than she could ever imagine. Not only could it hurt the babies, but it would also shatter any dreams of her and Fox ever getting back together and Theresa could just not live with that.  
  
"I'm sorry Fox." She heavily sighed. "I don't know why I just acted like that. Of course there's nothing wrong with you giving a gift to my sister. I mean, it IS her birthday!"  
  
"It's ok." He smiled and glanced down at his watch. "But we should probably hurry if we want to make it to the youth centre in time."  
  
"Good idea!" She lightly giggled.  
  
As she followed him out the door, she realized that she didn't even get a chance to tell him the good news about one of the twins being a girl.  
  
"Oh well," she whispered to herself. "I can just tell everyone when we get to the party. It'll be perfect. First Paloma will share her surprise with the family and then I'll share mine. It looks like today is going to be just filled with surprises!"  
  
-----------------------------------------------------------  
  
At the youth centre, Miguel and Luis had just finished hanging up the "Happy Birthday" banner across the doorway.  
  
"Alright girls how does that look?" Luis yelled down to beautifully dressed Sheridan and Charity.  
  
"It looks great!" Charity smiled.  
  
"In fact this whole place looks amazing!" Sheridan added, admiring the perfectly decorated room. "It doesn't even look at all the youth centre."  
  
"Thank you ladies," Miguel bowed. "We did do a good job didn't we?"  
  
"Well only the best for our baby sister." Luis lowered his voice, afraid that Paloma might hear him.  
  
"I heard that!" She giggled coming into the room. "How many times do I have to tell you Luis, I am not a baby anymore!"  
  
"Well you certainly don't look like a baby!" Miguel whistled as he admired his sister.  
  
"Paloma you look beautiful!" Whitney smiled, with Chad close by.  
  
"Thank you." She grinned as she spun around graciously.  
  
The cute spaghetti-strapped dress lightly flowed around her slender calves and she playfully twirled around.  
  
"My daughter is growing up so fast!" Pilar hugged Paloma. "It seems like only yesterday I was rocking you in my arms and now you're celebrating your nineteenth birthday! Where does the time go?"  
  
"And not only is she getting older, but it seems like every time I see you, you just keep getting more and more beautiful too!" Luis laughed, giving his sister a kiss on the cheek.  
  
"No arguments there!" Fox bellowed from the door.  
  
"Fox! Theresa! There you guys are!" Paloma turned around and grinned. "I was afraid you weren't coming!"  
  
"And miss my sister's birthday? No way!" Theresa laughed, giving Paloma a hug.  
  
Suddenly there was a knock at the door and a young man poked his head through carrying an enormous bouquet of flowers in hands.  
  
"I have a delivery for a Miss Paloma Lopez-Fitzgerald." He announced.  
  
"That would be me." Paloma grinned astonished, taking the flowers from him. "These are amazing! But who could they be from?"  
  
She curiously reached inside and took out a small card. Carefully reading the message, she slowly smiled and gratefully looked up at Fox.  
  
"Awww Fox, you're so sweet!" She smiled as he approached her. "Thank you."  
  
For a while they just stared into each other's eyes, as a concerned Theresa looked on. Then as though on key, Paloma took a hold of Fox's hand and guided him to the rest of the group.  
  
"Everyone, before we start the party I have an announcement to make!" She yelled.  
  
"Is this the surprise that you've been waiting to tell us Mija?" Pilar inquired.  
  
"Yes mama," Paloma smiled. "I wanted to wait until my birthday to share this with all of you because it's such a special time for me. With Christmas only a couple days away, I'm just so happy that I finally get to celebrate all the important days of my life with everyone that I love. Since I came to Harmony, everyone has been so nice and welcoming that it's made my time here amazing! And now that I've fallen in love it has made it that much more wonderful."  
  
"In love? My little Mija?" Pilar smiled through teary eyes. "But with who?"  
  
"Someone kind, honest, and everything you could ask for in a best friend." Paloma responded.  
  
"Awww that is so sweet!" Gwen grinned. "Well don't keep us in suspense any longer. Tell us who this wonderful man is!"  
  
"It's Fox!" She beamed, looking up at him. "We're finally a couple!"  
  
A sudden hush grew over the crowd as everyone looked at each other in confusion.  
  
"No way, that can't be!" Gwen whispered to Whitney.  
  
"How can Paloma be in love with Fox if he's supposed to be in love with..." Whitney paused and worriedly glanced over at her best friend.  
  
Standing against the wall, Theresa looked dangerously close to passing out.  
  
"We're a couple..."  
  
The strange words still rang in her ears as she continued to breathe heavily. Suddenly all sound drained from the room and all she could hear was the rapid beating of her own heart.  
  
N-no I must have heard wrong. She thought to herself. There's no way that I heard what I think I just heard...  
  
Refusing to believe her ears, Theresa struggled to control her breathing. She was so dazed that she didn't even feel a hand on her shoulder.  
  
"Theresa?" Whiney softly called. "Honey, are you alright?"  
  
As though she were in a trance, Theresa shook her head and bafflingly looked up at her friend.  
  
"Um...hey Whit, what's going on?" She asked bewildered.  
  
"Theresa, didn't you just hear what Paloma said?" Whitney looked at her concerned.  
  
"About what?" She unemotionally stared at them.  
  
Gwen and Whitney exchanged worried glances as Theresa continued with her oblivious act.  
  
Just then, Paloma and Fox approached them excitedly.  
  
"Theresa, aren't you happy for me?" Paloma ecstatically shrieked, throwing her arms around her sister's neck. "Can you believe that Fox and I are finally a couple?"  
  
Theresa drew in a sharp breath as she finally realized that she had not been imagining things.  
  
"A-a couple?" She stammered. "A couple of what?"  
  
"Theresa!" Paloma giggled. "Don't be silly! Fox and I are boyfriend and girlfriend!"  
  
Whitney and Gwen watched as the blood drained from Theresa's face.  
  
"W-what?" She softly said, slowly staring up at Fox.  
  
Feeling extremely guilty he refused to look her in the eyes.  
  
"I-I suddenly don't feel so good," She whispered. "I think I need some air, excuse me!"  
  
Theresa quickly rushed passed them and exited through the back door.  
  
Filled with remorse, Fox excused himself from the group and ran after her.  
  
"Theresa!" He called. "Theresa wait!"  
  
Catching up to her, he grabbed her by her shoulders and turned her around.  
  
"Don't touch me!" She angrily yelled, slapping him across the face. "How could you do this!"  
  
"Theresa please calm down! Remember what Dr Russell said," He reminded her.  
  
"Oh don't give me that!" She spat. "If you gave a damn about these babies you would not have done what you did! If anything has caused me stress tonight, it's you. So if you DO care about the twins you will leave me the hell alone!"  
  
With that she ran off and left him standing in the cold. Fox ran a hand through his hair and cursed underneath his breath.  
  
"Please God, don't let anything bad happen to her and those babies." He whispered in the air. "It seemed right at the time but now I don't think getting together with Paloma was such a good idea."  
  
He regrettably turned around and walked back to the youth centre, feeling like he had made one of the biggest mistakes of his entire life. 


	30. Just Friends

CH 29- Just Friends  
  
"Fox and I are a couple!" Paloma happily squealed. "Aren't you happy for me Theresa?"  
  
All the feeling in Theresa's knees seemed to melt away, as she struggled to comprehend the words that flowed from her sister's lips.  
  
"A couple?" She stammered. "No, no that can't be!"  
  
"It's true Theresa, I'm with your little sister now!" Fox beamed, staring down at a grinning Paloma.  
  
"I can't believe what I'm hearing!" She yelled, deeply hurt. "How could you two do this to me?"  
  
She could already feel her legs weakening underneath her weight, as the tears poured down her face. Feeling as though she could take no more, Theresa quickly rushed passed them and headed for the nearest exit. She couldn't believe that her own sister and the man that she once loved could do this to her.  
  
Once outside, Theresa placed a hand to her chest and let out a heavy sigh, feeling as though her heart had broken into a million pieces.  
  
------------------------------------  
  
Theresa opened her eyes with a start, squinting from the stream of sunlight that shone through her bedroom. She breathed a sigh of relief, as she glanced outside the frosty window.  
  
"It was just a dream." She smiled to herself. "Thank goodness! I don't think I could bare it if that actually came true."  
  
She drew her hand from underneath the covers and wearily rubbed her forehead.  
  
"Theresa you have got to stop worrying yourself about Fox and Paloma." She silently whispered. "There is nothing going on between the two of th—"  
  
Theresa abruptly stopped as she stared at the silver bracelet dangling from her wrist.  
  
"That's funny." She mumbled to herself. "I was wearing this exact same bracelet in my dream."  
  
She suddenly felt her heartbeat rapidly increase in her chest, as she slowly pulled the covers from underneath her chin.  
  
"Oh my god!" Theresa exclaimed, staring down at her fully-clothed body. "I must have slept in my clothes!"  
  
She carefully sat up and placed a hand to her mouth.  
  
"That means it wasn't a dream!" She slowly realized. "Last night actually happened!"  
  
Theresa swung her feet from underneath her covers and cautiously stood up. As she nervously paced back and forth, the events of the night before flashed in her memory. Instantly she remembered everything that happened.  
  
"F-fox and Paloma," she stammered. "They're a co—"  
  
She briefly closed her eyes, and tightened her fists finding it difficult to even say the word. She shakily let out a deep breath as her eyes wandered to a picture of Fox by her bedside.  
  
"You," she said in between clenched teeth. "You did this!"  
  
Theresa angrily grabbed the picture frame and coldly stared at the photograph.  
  
"I can't even rightfully be upset with Paloma because she had no idea about us! But you?" She spat. "I knew something wasn't right about you when you suddenly came back. You were acting so different and I had no idea what was wrong. Now I do. You were involved with my baby sister!"  
  
Immediate rage filled her insides as she thought about the man she once loved.  
  
Suddenly she heard the faint sound of a male voice coming from downstairs. She stood quietly in her room and listened intently for the voice to sound once more. Finally her eyes widened with disbelief as the familiar voice rang in her ears.  
  
Fox.  
  
"How dare he come here after what he did!" She yelled. "If he thinks that I'm just going to forgive him—"  
  
Suddenly it occurred to her that Fox probably wasn't even there to see her.  
  
"Of course!" Theresa annoyingly smiled. "He's probably here to spend time with his new girlfriend!"  
  
She quickly changed out of her clothes and prepared herself to confront Fox.  
  
"He is never going to set foot into this house again, and I don't care what anyone says!" She mumbled to herself, pulling her hair into a ponytail.  
  
Theresa fiercely walked towards the door and yanked on the doorknob, surprisingly coming face to face with Fox. For a moment she just stood there unable to say or do anything. Although part of her wanted to strangle the life out of him, she couldn't help but feel the light sensation of butterflies in the pit of her stomach. There was something about the way he looked at her that always made her knees weak. It was no secret that she was still very much in love with him.  
  
Theresa quickly turned away from him, not wanting to reveal her true feelings.  
  
"What are you doing here?" She bitterly spoke. "Does this look like Paloma's room to you?"  
  
"I didn't come here to see Paloma." Fox let out a deep sigh. "I came to make sure that you were alright."  
  
"You don't give a damn about me." She coldly whispered, refusing to make any eye contact.  
  
"Theresa of course I care about you. I promised that I would be here for you and the babies and I intend to keep my promise."  
  
"Well don't do us any favors. We don't need you."  
  
"Look I'm sorry that I hurt you, but can't we just be mature about this?" Fox looked at her.  
  
For the first time, Theresa slowly turned around and stared into his eyes.  
  
"Mature?" She repeated in disgust. "Fox, you went behind my back and secretly became involved with my baby sister! How the hell do you expect me to act?"  
  
"What goes around comes around." Fox mumbled, turning his back to her.  
  
"What did you just say?"  
  
"Nothing."  
  
"No, come on!" She yelled, turning him back around. "If you have something to say, just say it!"  
  
"Fine." He sternly looked at her. "I said, what goes around comes around. You're the one who started this whole thing. I'm just doing to you what you did to me."  
  
Theresa's eyes widened in anger, as she slapped Fox hard across the face.  
  
"You have a lot of nerve! Where the hell do you get off blaming this on me?" She yelled.  
  
"Oh, give me a break Theresa!" Fox looked at her in disgust. "It was your deceits that lead me to do what I did! Did you think I was stupid? How long did you think that I was going to be your little play thing?"  
  
"What?" Theresa held her head in confusion.  
  
"Oh, don't play dumb with me." Fox coldly stared at her. "All those times you told me that you loved me and that Ethan was out of your heart forever were all lies. You made me think that you wanted to share a future with me, when all along you still loved Ethan. How many times did you lead me to believe that you and I could actually be together? You made me think that you were over Ethan and that one day we could get married. But all my half-brother had to do was put on some sappy act about how much he loved you and you jumped right into bed with him and became pregnant with his kids!"  
  
"I don't believe this!" Theresa threw her hands up in defeat. "How can you say that, when I told you what happened that night?"  
  
"Well can you blame me if I don't believe you?" He shot back. "You told me that you loved me, when all along it was my half-brother that you had in your heart! You didn't think I heard you, did you?"  
  
"What are you talking about?"  
  
"That night when I went to get you your milk I heard what you said to Whitney." Fox struggled to fight back his tears. "You said that you were glad that Ethan was the father of the twins. You said that you loved him since you were a little girl and that you couldn't ask for a better father for them."  
  
For a while Theresa just stood there and looked at him, amazed by his ignorance.  
  
"That's why you left." She slowly realized.  
  
"Yes." Fox simply said, wiping his face with the back of his hand. "Do you know how much that hurt me? To hear that after all we'd been through, none of it mattered and you still loved my half brother."  
  
"Well what can I say Fox?" She placed a hand to her head. "I really wish you would have stayed to hear what else I said. Maybe then you would have realized just how wrong you were."  
  
"What do you mean?" He doubtfully looked at her.  
  
"After you left, I told Whitney that even though I knew Ethan could be a good father to the twins, I wished that you were their father."  
  
Suddenly Fox felt his stomach tighten as he realized his mistake. However, he refused to back down. Theresa still had to know how much she hurt him.  
  
"Well I'm not." He looked at her. "I'm not the father of those twins and it kills me. Do you think it's easy for me to come here and be with you? For me to massage your back, give you warm milk, look into your eyes everyday and not be able to kiss you? Do you think it's easy for me to tell little stories to the twins, buy them cute little toys and know that I will be nothing more to them than their uncle? No, you don't! Well let me tell you, it's torture."  
  
"Well I'm sorry ok?" Theresa cried. "I didn't ask you to do any of these things for me, and don't think that I'm not grateful because I am. But I didn't mean for any of this to happen! God, I wish that I could just turn back time, and take that night away. I wish that you and I could go back to the way that we were. I wish that it was you that I made love to that night, and I honestly thought that I had—"  
  
"But that's not what happened!" He interrupted her, the tears falling down his face. "You slept with Ethan and now you're pregnant with his kids! You can't change that Theresa!"  
  
"I know that!"  
  
"No, I don't think you do!" He cried. "You can't tell me that you don't feel that connection when we're together. It hurts me to love you because I know that we can never be together! We may be able to spend time together now, but as soon as Ethan wakes up it will be over! I can't allow myself to feel for you when I know that in a second it can all be taken away. You know that as soon as Ethan wakes up and realizes that you are pregnant with his children, he is going to want to be apart of your life as much as possible. And then I'm going to be all alone. That's not fair Theresa! I deserve to be happy!"  
  
"With my baby sister?" She cried in disgust.  
  
Suddenly Theresa felt a sharp pain strike her stomach.  
  
"Owe!" She winced, crouching down to the ground.  
  
"Theresa?" Fox immediately grew concerned.  
  
He ran to her side and held her in his arms as she struggled to control her breathing.  
  
"Oh god, what am I doing?" Fox cursed underneath his breath. "I'm so sorry baby...please...please...calm down."  
  
After a while, Theresa's breathing became regular again and she slowly rose into a sitting position.  
  
"Fox?" She looked up at him. "This isn't going to work."  
  
"I know." He sadly sighed.  
  
"You're right. We can't change what happened. What's done is done." She heavily exhaled. "But I don't want to fight with you anymore. I need you in my life."  
  
"I need you too." He lightly brushed a strand away from her face. "Look, I don't even really know what's happening between Paloma and I, but we can't continue like this Theresa."  
  
"I agree." She looked at him. "So since we can't be together but we still want each other in our lives, why don't we just stay friends?"  
  
"Ewww, the f-word." Fox made a face.  
  
"I'm serious," Theresa lightly giggled. "I rather have you as my buddy than my enemy."  
  
"Yeah, you're right. Plus it would make things a lot easier." He admitted.  
  
"Yes it would." She smiled.  
  
"So what do you say? Friends? Fox grinned, extending his hand.  
  
"Best friends." Theresa winked, pulling him in for a sweet but friendly hug. 


	31. The Kiss

CH 30- The Kiss

It was Christmas Eve, and everyone was happily gathered at the Lopez-Fitzgerald household for a pre-Christmas celebration. Pilar had spent the entire day cooking and making preparations for the night's gathering. Everyone close to the family was there including Whitney, Chad, Gwen, Hank, Sheridan, Charity and Fox.

"This is so nice," Theresa smiled at Whitney, as the two girls sat at the bottom of the stairs talking. "I love that we can all spend Christmas Eve together like this. There's something about this time of the year that makes you grateful for the times you share with family and friends."

"Yeah, it sure does." Whitney grinned. "But there's something that is still bothering me Theresa."

"What's that?"

"Well, it's what you told me earlier about you and Fox." Whitney sighed, looking into her friend's eyes. "I just think that you're kidding yourself honey. There is no way that you and Fox can ever be just friends. You two have been though way too much and I see the way you look at each other. You don't have to have x-ray vision to see that you two are very much in love."

"Whitney, I told you. Fox and I already talked about this." Theresa gave her a reassuring smile. "I admit that it will be hard to go back to being friends with him but it's just something that we are going to have to deal with. We have to forget about our feelings for each other because under the circumstances that we are currently in, there's no way that anything more can ever develop between us."

"Alright," Whitney gave up. "I just hope you two know what you're doing."

"We don't really have a choice Whit." Theresa sighed. "But let's not talk about this anymore. It's Christmas, we should be having fun!"

"Ok," Whitney giggled. "C'mon let's go join the group!"

Theresa and Whitney made their way over to the living room where everyone was laughing and having a good time.

"Hey, what's going on over here?" Whitney smiled, slipping into Chad's arms.

"Oh, hey baby!" Chad kissed her. "We were just talking about how Christmas is such an amazing time of the year."

"No way! Theresa and I were just talking about the same thing!" Whitney smiled.

"Well, Whit knows that ever since we were small, Christmas has always been my favorite time of the year." Theresa grinned. "I remember we used to get all hyped up on sugar cookies and stay up really late on Christmas Eve waiting for Santa to come down the chimney."

"I can't believe you remember that!" Whitney giggled.

"Of course I do!" Theresa winked at her. "It's pretty hard to forget good times like that."

"I just love Christmas for all the cheerfulness and love that seems to linger in the air." Sheridan smiled.

"I know what you mean." Charity agreed. "There's something about this time of the year that puts everyone into such a cheerful and giving mood! It's such a wonderful time to be with the people that you love."

"You can say that again!" Paloma grinned, starring up lovingly into Fox's eyes.

Everyone watched as Fox tilted her chin up to face him and lightly kissed her lips.

Luis immediately looked up at Theresa, concerned about her reaction but to his surprise she remained perfectly calm and admiringly smiled at her little sister and Fox.

Confused by her unstressed behavior, Luis turned his angry stare back to Fox. He couldn't understand how he could appear to be so in love with Paloma, when not too long ago he was head over heels for Theresa. Something about it just didn't seem right. Fox loved Theresa—it was as simple as that. So then why was he currently making googly eyes at their baby sister? It just didn't make sense.

Sheridan immediately sensed Luis's uneasiness, so she quickly changed the subject.

"So Theresa, how are things going with the twins? Aren't they due soon?"

"Yup, I'm half way there!" Theresa smiled. "I'm finding that I'm getting a lot more tired easily. But the morning sickness has seemed to lessen. I just can't wait until they're born! I already feel such a strong connection to them."

"Well that's common, you are their mother." Sheridan happily grinned. "The bond between a mother and child is forever strong. That's why I can't wait to have my own someday. Growing up I always felt neglected by my father, after my mother died. Even though Julian was around, he mostly stuck by Father which always left me feeling pretty lonely. But when Luis and I finally have our own children I'm going to make sure that they have the family I never had."

"And hopefully that will be very soon." Luis kissed her sweetly.

"Sorry to interrupt," Pilar poked her head into the living room. "But can some of you ladies come help me bring out some food?"

"Sure Pilar, we'll all help!" Charity hopped off Miguel's lap.

As soon as the girl's left, all the men kept their stare on Fox.

"What?" He finally looked up.

"What's going on here man?" Chad spoke first. "Since when have you had a thing for Paloma?"

"How could you do that to Theresa?" Luis added, not giving him a chance to respond. "I thought you loved her."

"I do," Fox began. "But we can never be together."

He further explained to them about him and Theresa's agreement to remain friends.

"Friends?" Chad looked at him in disbelief. "Are you sure you'll be able to do that? You and Theresa love each other and you've been though a lot. You can't just throw that away."

"Chad's right." Luis added. "Don't get me wrong. I love Paloma and there is nothing more that I want than to see her happy. But I don't want her to be with someone whose heart belongs to someone else, and yours belongs to Theresa. You two may think that being friends is the best thing but don't fool yourself. All you two are doing is placing a sheet over your true feelings. One way or another though, you're going to have to come to terms with how you really feel."

"We have come to terms with how we feel!" Fox said defensively. "We both know that we still love each other but there's no way that we can ever be more than friends. Plus, I really care about Paloma and I want to see where this relationship leads. We have no secrets between us so it'll be easier to start a future together. I just want us all to be happy and this is the only way that that could happen."

None of them got a chance to respond because soon after the girls returned.

"Hey guys, guess what? It's midnight!" Theresa excitedly grinned, laying one of the plates on the table.

"And?" Fox asked confused.

"Well, it's always been a Lopez-Fitzgerald tradition to open ONE gift on Christmas Eve at midnight!" She smiled.

"Oh my gosh, that's right! I completely forgot." Pilar exclaimed. "Mija, you used to love this part of Christmas when you were a little girl. Do you remember?"

"I sure do!" Theresa happily squealed. "And trust me Mama, I have not outgrown it!"

Everybody laughed as Theresa waddled her way over to the Christmas tree to get gifts for everyone.

"Here, I'll help you!" Fox offered, rising from the couch.

He graciously went over to where she was standing and took three or four gifts from her hand, as she reached down to grab the others. Just as they were heading back to the group, Paloma let out an excited shriek.

"Oh my gosh!" She exclaimed. "Look Fox, you and Theresa are underneath the mistletoe!"

"What?" Theresa looked at her sister confused.

"You and Fox are underneath the mistletoe, sis!" Paloma came over to them. "You know what that means."

"Paloma, I don't think we should—" Fox began to walk away nervously.

"No, come on Fox it's tradition!" She pulled him back. "Besides it's just Theresa."

"Really Paloma, this isn't necessary—" Theresa groaned uncomfortably.

"What is wrong with you two? Come on Fox, just give her a kiss!" Paloma urged him on.

Finally Fox threw his hands up in defeat.

"Ok fine!" He gave up. "Theresa, let's just do this."

"Alright." She awkwardly smiled.

Wanting to get it over with, Fox quickly leaned in and lightly kissed her on the lips.

"Oh c'mon Fox, you can do better than that!" Paloma teased. "Don't worry I'm not going to get mad. It's Theresa, and besides it's Christmas! Now give her a REAL kiss!"

"Paloma—" Fox looked at her worriedly.

"Just do it! It's not a big deal!" She insisted.

Knowing how uncomfortable it must have been for them, Whitney and Gwen exchanged worried glances.

Fox suddenly felt his heartbeat increase, as he realized that Paloma was not going to give up. He nervously glanced at Theresa, as she returned his worried gaze. Finally he took a step closer to her, not taking his eyes of hers. Gently taking her face in his hands, he leaned in and softly kissed her trembling lips. For a split second all motion around them seemed to stand completely still, as they felt the intense warmth between them. Finally, for what seemed like several minutes, they slowly pulled apart and stared into each other's eyes.

"Alright, well that was nice!" Pilar suddenly spoke. "Let's open these gifts huh?"

"Uh—ok, s-sure Mama." Theresa stammered, seeing the look of concern in her mother's eyes.

She quickly handed the remaining boxes she still held in her hand to Sheridan, and walked over to the dinner table. Knowing how torn Theresa must've felt, Whitney rushed to her side.

"Honey, are you ok?" She worriedly asked. "I know that must have been really hard for you."

"What are you talking about Whit?" Theresa avoided her eyes. "I'm fine. That kiss meant absolutely nothing. It was just in the spirit of Christmas."

"Oh really?" Whitney looked at her doubtfully.

"Yes." She quickly answered. "In fact, I'm sure Fox didn't feel a thing."

"Well if you're so sure that Fox didn't feel a thing, then how come since you two kissed he hasn't been able to take his eyes off you?" Whitney informed her.

Theresa quickly glanced back at Fox and just as Whitney had said, he was indeed staring at her.

"I don't know, ok?" She let out a sigh of frustration. "Can we just drop this please? I really don't feel like talking about it."

"Alright, but just know that I'm here for you." Whitney reminded her, giving her arm a gentle squeeze.

Theresa sat by herself for awhile, as everyone began to sing different Christmas carols. Luis had even brought out his guitar to play, while Paloma helped him sing an old Latin Christmas song. As Theresa silently sat and listened to the romantic words, she suddenly felt extremely uncomfortable. Quietly, she left the room and made her way into the kitchen.

After getting a cold drink, she began to feel more relaxed. Still hearing the singing from the other room, she placed a hand on her tummy and smiled.

"You two are going to be born into the most loving family you could ever imagine." She whispered. "I just can't wait until you finally get here!"

"That makes two of us." Fox's voice suddenly sounded behind her. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm ok." Theresa smiled at him.

"That's good." He softly spoke. "I hope what happened earlier didn't shake you up too much."

"Not too much," she shyly admitted. "You?"

"Well, I'm not going to lie to you. It definitely arose some old feelings again."

"Yeah, I know what you mean." She placed a hand on his arm. "This friend thing is a lot harder than I expected."

"It sure is." Fox let out a sigh. "But I think I may have something for you that may make things a lot easier."

"Oh? What's that?" Theresa looked at him suspiciously.

Fox smiled and drew a tiny box from behind his back.

"Well, I noticed that you didn't get to open a gift yet so here you go." He winked, handing her the box.

Theresa smiled and carefully opened the present. When she saw the expensive silver locket lying inside, she almost gasped in amazement.

"Fox, this is beautiful!" She cried, slowly opening it. "Oh my god." She smiled, as she gazed at the photograph inside.

"Do you remember when we took that?" He grinned. "It was around the time when we first met and you insisted on taking that picture of us."

"I remember." Theresa smiled. "It was so that we would never forget how much fun we had that day."

"Exactly." He walked around her to put it around her neck. "That's why I wanted you to have this. Whenever you look at it, you can remember just how happy we were when we were just buddies. So that means that becoming friends again really shouldn't be that hard."

"Thank you Fox." Theresa grinned pulling him in for a hug. "We really were good friends weren't we?"

"The best." He softly whispered.

He slowly pulled back and carefully tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, lightly caressing her face with the back of his hand. Suddenly he once again felt his heartbeat pound hard against his chest, as he stared into her eyes. Only this time, there wasn't a part of him that felt uncomfortable about it. Not being able to control himself, he cradled her face in his hands and leaned in, hungrily kissing her lips. Without taking a breath he continued to kiss her, letting his tongue explore every inch of her mouth. It was almost as if an invisible force was drawing them together. Finally without warning, Theresa reluctantly pushed him away.

"Fox, what are you doing?" She managed to say in between gasps.

"Oh god," He whispered, completely caught off guard. "Theresa—I'm so sorry."

Unable to say a word, Theresa just stood there placing a hand to her lips.

Suddenly Gwen rushed into the kitchen with an ecstatic expression on her face.

"Guys, we have to get to the hospital. Dr Russell just called." She blurted out.

"What? Why? Is everything ok?" Theresa asked confused.

"Everything is more than ok!" Gwen happily squealed. "Ethan's awake!"


	32. He's Awake!

CH 31- He's Awake!

During the entire car ride to the hospital, Fox couldn't help but feel like his life was about to drastically change for the worst. Although he was aware that he and Theresa had made a pact to be friends, ever since they had kissed under the mistletoe and in the kitchen he couldn't stop thinking about her. Though his head kept telling him to forget about his feelings for her, his heart repeatedly reminded him of the incredible love they once shared. It killed him to know that after tonight, things were officially going to be over between them. Now that Ethan had wakened out of his coma, it wouldn't be long before he learned that Theresa was pregnant with his children. In the back of his mind, Fox knew that once that happened, Theresa would finally move on with her life and forget about him. It was just a matter of time.

As soon as they arrived at the hospital, Dr Russell was waiting for them in the hallway.

"Eve is it true?" Pilar asked. "Did Ethan really wake out of his coma?"

"Yes everyone, it is true!" She confirmed, widely grinning. "Except for a little bit of grogginess, I'd say he is doing exceptionally well."

"What about the cancer?" Sam nervously inquired.

"That's the most amazing part of it all." Eve smiled. "It appears to have disappeared!"

"Disappeared?" Whitney looked at her mother confused. "But mom, didn't you say that the cancer was so bad Ethan didn't even have a chance of survival?"

"That's how it appeared honey, but now it's as if it never existed. I even did several tests to confirm it and the results keep coming up the same. The cancer is just gone!"

"Oh my gosh, that's amazing!" Sheridan exclaimed.

"Eve, thank you for saving my son!" Ivy cried.

"Oh, I didn't do anything." Dr. Russell smiled. "It was probably all the prayers and support from all of you that got Ethan through this."

"It's a Christmas miracle, that's what it is!" Theresa happily confirmed. "God's angels are definitely watching over us."

"Gracias Senor!" Pilar silently whispered.

"When can we see him?" Theresa excitedly asked, oblivious to Fox's hurt expression.

"Anytime you want. In fact, he's been asking for all of you." Eve smiled. "Just make sure to take things slow. He's still a little confused."

"Thanks again Eve." Sam added, as he followed everyone into Ethan's room.

"Ethan, honey how are you feeling?" Ivy rushed to his bedside.

"Good." He smiled weakly. "Nothing hurts at least."

"That's excellent son." Sam gently patted him on his shoulder.

"Do you remember what happened?" Whitney asked.

"Barely." He put a hand to his head. "Everything's kind of a blur."

"Well don't rush yourself Ethan. Dr Russell said to make sure to take things slow." Gwen reminded him.

"I'm just glad that everything turned out ok." He smiled. "Eve said that the cancer appears to be gone."

"Yeah, we heard. That's amazing buddy!" Luis grinned.

"We knew you wouldn't give up honey. We're so proud of you." Sheridan lightly kissed his forehead.

"Well I know that all of your prayers are what got me through this. I can't thank you enough." He graciously smiled. "It feels good to know that I have such wonderful friends and family that love me so much."

He let his eyes wander around the room until they finally landed on Theresa. An immediate smile appeared across her lips when their eyes met. He never realized how much he missed seeing her face. She was absolutely beautiful.

"Theresa—" He whispered admirably.

He was just about to ask her to come to him when his gaze fell to her stomach. Suddenly he noticed Fox standing closely behind her, as he squinted in confusion.

"No—" He managed to say, alternating glances between the two of them. "You guys are having a baby?"

"Ethan, what did you just say?" Sam looked down at him.

"Fox and Theresa," he repeated, looking at her swollen tummy. "They're having a baby!"

"Why would you think that Fox and Theresa are having a baby?" Paloma suddenly asked.

"Well, look at her." Ethan said, pointing at Theresa. "She's obviously pregnant."

"But why would you think it was by Fox?" Paloma looked up at him confused.

"Um..I think Ethan's just a little confused." Whitney nervously interrupted.

"Yeah," Gwen supported her. "Remember Paloma, he's been out for a while. He doesn't know what's happened in the past few months."

"I don't understand." Ethan looked around the room confused.

Finally Theresa walked over to his bedside and took his hand in hers.

"Ethan," She softly spoke. "While you were in the coma, I found out that I was pregnant. You're going to be a father!"

"Me?" He squinted. "But what about F—"

"No— it's you." She interrupted him. "I'm having YOUR babies."

"Babies?" He repeated dumfounded.

"That's right Ethan, Theresa's having twins." Sam placed a comforting hand on his son's shoulder.

"I-I don't believe this!" He happily cried. "I'm going to be a father?"

"I think maybe we should leave these two alone for a while." Sheridan smiled.

Everyone agreed and quietly left the room for Theresa and Ethan to have some privacy.

Out in the hallway, everybody continued to talk about Ethan's amazing recovery. Fox just stood quietly against the wall, rubbing his tired eyes.

"Fox?" Paloma crept up beside him.

"Yeah?" He unemotionally looked down at her. "What's wrong babe?"

"I'm still really confused about what happened a few seconds ago." She suspiciously looked into his eyes. "Why did Ethan think that Theresa was pregnant by you?"

Fox frustratingly leaned his head against the wall.

"I don't know Paloma." He mumbled.

"But it just doesn't make sense!" She continued, as thought he didn't speak. "You and Theresa aren't even a couple!"

"Paloma, can we just drop this please!" He snapped at her. "Didn't you hear what Whitney said? He was probably just confused!"

Fox suddenly noticed her get extremely quiet, as a hurt expression flashed in her eyes.

"Baby, I'm sorry." He apologized, slowly pulling her close to him. "I didn't mean to yell at you. I think Ethan just said that because he knows that Theresa and I are best friends. He probably saw her tummy and automatically thought she was pregnant by me since he remembers us being so close. But like Dr. Russell said, he's still pretty groggy so I wouldn't worry about it."

"Ok," she nodded satisfied.

"So Dr Russell, is Ethan alright to go home?" Fox heard Gwen ask.

"Well I still want to keep him in the hospital for one more night, just to make sure he is alright." Eve told them. "But if his results remain the same in the morning, I'd say he's fine to go home."

_If Ethan's staying over night, chances are Theresa will probably stay too_. Fox thought to himself. _Well then I guess that means I'll be staying the night as well._

"I think I'm going to stay with Ethan, just to make sure he's ok." Fox suddenly spoke up.

"Awww Fox, that's so sweet of you." Ivy smiled at him.

"Well if Fox is going to stay, then I guess we can all go home." Whitney said. "Theresa's probably going to want to stay too, but Fox make sure to call us in the morning to let us know what's happening."

"Sure thing Whit." He smiled. "I'll tell Theresa you guys said goodnight."

"I'll stay with you too." Paloma grinned up at him. "It'll be kind of romantic."

Fox just smiled and kissed the top of her forehead before going over to the nurse's station to get some blankets. As soon as everyone left, Theresa finally came out of the room and the three of them soon fell asleep on the waiting room couches. Fox didn't bother to talk to Theresa about their kiss earlier that night. He figured she dealt with enough for the day. Instead he just wanted to watch her sleep, knowing that it was probably going to be his last opportunity to be that close to her.

----------------------------

"Look Daddy, I got a bubble!" Four-year old Hallie smiled up at Fox.

"You did? Oh my goodness!" He smiled, as he gently rubbed shampoo into her hair. "What about you buddy? How many bubbles did you find?"

"Hmm, I don't know. Why don't we count them honey." Theresa giggled, as she helped little Alexander count his bubbles.

"One...two..three..four...five!!!" He laughed excitedly.

"Wow! What are you two going to do with all those bubbles?" Fox smiled.

Without warning, Hallie scooped up a handful of watery bubbles and playfully spilled it all over Fox's shirt.

"Oh, Hallie that wasn't very nice!" Fox exclaimed, his clothes drenched in water.

"Honey, what do we say about keeping water inside the tub during bath time?" Theresa warningly looked at her daughter.

"Sowie daddy," Hallie sadly pouted.

"It's ok baby." Fox smiled, glancing over at a giggling Theresa. "Oh, you thought that was funny?"

"Fox...don't you dare!" Theresa laughed, knowing exactly what he was going to do.

"What's wrong sweetheart? It's just water!" Fox giggled, splashing sprinkles of water at her.

"Fox...stop!!" Theresa yelled, splashing him back.

Soon the whole bathroom was completely drenched as the four of them happily splashed around the entire afternoon.

-------------------------------------------------

Fox opened his eyes slowly as the events of the dream still lingered in his thoughts. He looked down at Paloma still sleeping on his lap and let out a sigh.

"Why do I keep having dreams like this?" He whispered to himself. "It doesn't make sense for me to be dreaming about Theresa's babies as if they were mine."

Suddenly he noticed that he and Paloma were the only ones in the room.

"Where's Theresa?" He wondered, glancing over at her vacant chair.

Immediately growing worried, he carefully slid from underneath Paloma and went to go look for her. Just as he turned the corner, he thought he heard whispering coming from Ethan's room. As he slowly peered inside, he instantly felt his stomach tighten.

"Theresa, I still can't believe you're carrying our children." Ethan smiled at her. "This is probably the best Christmas gift ever."

"The best Christmas gift is having you here with us." Theresa lightly rubbed his arm. "I'm so glad that you're going to be here to see the twins."

"Me too." He grinned, pulling her close to him.

Fox watched in pain from the doorway, as Ethan gently kissed her lips.

"We're officially over Theresa." He quietly whispered, wiping a fallen tear from his eye.

"Fox what are you doing here?" Paloma suddenly appeared next to him. "I woke up and everyone was gone."

"Oh, I was just checking up on Theresa and Ethan." He impassively smiled down at her.

"They are so cute." She commented, peaking into the room from behind him. "Aren't you glad that Ethan finally woke up? Now they can be together with the babies. This has just been the most perfect Christmas, don't you think?"

"Yeah, perfect." Fox mumbled, closing his eyes to the harsh and painful truth of reality.


	33. Christmas Surprises

CH 32: Christmas Surprises

Theresa cheerfully walked into the living room and sat down the bowl of eggnog that Pilar had made that afternoon. She smiled as she hummed her favorite Christmas carol and inhaled the sweet scent of sugar cookies being baked in the oven.

"I love Christmas!" She happily sighed to herself.

Suddenly the doorbell rang, as she hurried to see who it was.

"Hey Whit, Merry Christmas!" She smiled, giving her friend a hug.

"Merry Christmas honey!" Whitney grinned, handing Theresa a beautifully decorated gift bag.

"Aww, you didn't have to bring me anything." Theresa giggled, excitedly peeking into the bag.

"Yeah right Theresa! From the day that I've known you, getting gifts has always been your most favorite part of the holidays."

"Guilty as charged!" Theresa exclaimed, as she pulled out the adorable baby outfits and bottles from the bag. "Oh my goodness! Whitney, these are so cute!"

"I wasn't sure what color to get since we're not sure what these little bundles of joy are yet." She smiled, gently rubbing Theresa's tummy.

"Well maybe you don't, but I actually found out the sex of one of the twins." Theresa grinned.

"You did? How come you never told anyone?"

"Well, let's just say I never got a chance to." She frowned, remembering the night of Paloma's birthday. "But I'll be happy to share the news, once everybody else gets here."

"Sounds good to me." Whitney smiled. "So where is everyone?"

"Well, Miguel went to spend some time with Charity over at the Bennetts, Paloma is in the kitchen helping Mama cook, and Luis went with Fox to the hospital to get Ethan."

"That's right, Ethan got released this morning." She recalled, slowly starring over at Theresa. "You must be excited...and nervous at the same time."

"Nervous?" Theresa looked at her puzzled. "Why would I be nervous?"

"Well, this _is_ going to be the first time that we're all going to be together since Ethan first slipped into his coma. A lot has happened since then, don't you think?"

"Whitney, if you're referring to my relationship with Fox, I'm not worried." She looked at her seriously. "Like I told you before, Fox and I are just friends now. So there's no reason for this to be awkward. Today is just going to be a group of friends spending Christmas together, and celebrating the recovery of someone special to us. No big deal."

"Uh huh," Whitney looked at her, "Whatever you say Theresa."

"Girls, we're home!" Luis suddenly poked his head through the front door.

"Oh hey!" Theresa and Whitney spun around, as Fox and Luis helped Ethan into the house.

"How are you feeling Ethan?" Whitney asked, as they all took a seat on the couch.

"A lot better actually." He smiled. "It feels good to finally get out of that hospital bed. I almost forgot how beautiful Harmony was in the winter."

"It sure is." Theresa grinned, sitting next to him. "We're so glad to have you home."

"And I'm glad to be home." Ethan winked at her, sweetly kissing her cheek.

"I'm going to go see where Paloma is." Fox uncomfortably cleared his throat, and slipped into the kitchen.

Theresa suddenly felt Whitney's stare on her, but she tried to ignore it.

"So how you three doing?" Ethan smiled rubbing her tummy.

"We're doing good." She happily grinned. "I just know that the twins love Christmas as much as I do. They've been kicking all morning!"

"Really?" Ethan smiled. "I've never felt them kick before. Do they do it often?"

"Sometimes." Theresa nodded. "I find that they usually do it, whenever I feel really happy. It's like they can sense my happiness."

"Well maybe they can sense mine too because at this very moment I am overjoyed that you are carrying our children." Ethan smiled, gently placing his hand on her tummy. "That's funny I don't feel anything."

"Hmm, maybe they're just tired." Theresa assumed.

"Hey, what's going on?" Fox suddenly came into the living room.

"Ethan is trying to see if he can feel the twins kicking." Whitney told him.

"Trying?" He looked at them bewildered. "Those little angels are always kicking around in there. I already told Theresa that they're going to be excellent soccer players."

Everyone laughed as Fox went around to where Theresa was sitting. Just then, Theresa felt a bit of pressure on her stomach.

"They just did it!" She exclaimed, as Fox placed his hand on the last spot she felt the kick.

"Yup, they're kicking alright!" He laughed.

"Can I feel?" Ethan excitedly grinned.

"Sure, put your hand right here." Theresa guided him.

But for some strange reason, the kicking suddenly stopped.

"That's weird," Theresa frowned. "They were just kicking like crazy!"

"That's because they get excited whenever I'm around." Fox smiled proudly. "They aren't even born yet and they already know what a great uncle they have!"

"Well Fox _has_ been spending a lot of time with them, so it's natural for the twins to know when he's around." Luis commented.

"What do you mean?" Ethan looked at everyone.

"Well since you were in the hospital Fox spent a lot of time taking care of Theresa and the twins." Whitney informed him. "He always took her for her checkups, made sure she ate well and got lots of exercise."

"He even brought me all the crazy things I wanted when I had my weird cravings." Theresa giggled. "Sometimes I wanted chocolate and other times I wanted chips, It was crazy!"

"Wow, I sure missed out on a lot." Ethan sadly frowned. "I bet you probably even know the sex of the babies."

"Well only one." Theresa looked at him. "The doctor couldn't tell the sex of the other baby because its legs were closed."

"What?" Fox excitedly looked at her. "You know the sex of one of the babies? Well what is it?"

"Oh that's right, I didn't tell any of you." She remembered. "It's a girl!"

"Are you serious?" Fox smiled, giving her a hug. "That's so good to hear! But you said you don't know the sex of the other one?"

"Nope we couldn't tell. But I just know that the other one is also a girl. I can feel it! It's mother's intuition!" She excitedly grinned.

"I don't know Theresa, during those cravings of yours you asked for chips a lot of the time. Maybe the other one is going to be a boy." He winked at her.

Theresa just laughed at Fox's theory.

"But it doesn't matter because whatever they are, there's no doubt in my mind that they are going to be the most beautiful twins ever. I mean, just look at their mother!" Fox winked at her.

"I see you haven't lost your charm, Fox." Ethan suddenly spoke, growing annoyed by his half brother's flirtatious behavior. "Thanks though for helping out Theresa while I was in the hospital."

"No problem, it was my pleasure." He smiled at her.

"I bet it was." Ethan said underneath his breath. "But it's ok now because I think I got things from here."

Fox just stared at Ethan as he put his arm around Theresa and kissed her lightly. The sight of them made him sick to his stomach. It killed him to know that Ethan thought he could just waltz back into Theresa's life and take his place. Until now, he hadn't been there for her once. Although Fox knew that it was because he was sick, he still couldn't help but feel angry. He had put so much time and effort into developing his relationship with Theresa and now Ethan was taking it all away in one single step.

"I hope you do, because Theresa's pregnancy is very fragile." He snapped back. "She needs to stay clear of any type of stress. So you better take good care of her and the twins."

"Don't worry half brother." Ethan stared at him coldly. "My family and I are going to be just fine."

Suddenly everyone felt the tension rise in the room, as Fox and Ethan kept their angry stares on one another.

"Is it just me, or is it getting kind of hot in here?" Theresa began to breathe rapidly, as she felt herself grow extremely uncomfortable. "I think I need some air."

Both Fox and Ethan quickly stood up to assist her, but she quickly refused.

"No, it's ok. You guys stay here. I'm just going to go out in the backyard for a while." She told them, heading for the front door. "Luis, can you help everyone to a cup of eggnog?"

"Ya, sure sis." Luis looked at her, concerned by her behavior.

Not giving them a second look, Theresa quickly grabbed her jacket and closed the door behind her. She couldn't stand to be in that house any longer, especially with Fox and Ethan about to kill each other. She didn't want to admit it, but Whitney was right. This was awkward.

She slowly wandered over to the swing and dusted off the fallen snow that still laid on the seat. Carefully sitting down, she soothingly rubbed her tummy as she felt the twins kick once more.

"Why don't you guys kick when your daddy's around?" She lightly giggled. "You two must really like your uncle Fox huh? Yeah, I really like him too."

Theresa reached around her neck and carefully pulled out the tiny locket that Fox had given to her. Unaware that he had come outside to make sure that she was ok, she continued to quietly talk to herself. As she stared down at the photograph, a small tear escaped from the corner of her eye.

"Fox, you said this was going to be easy. But it's not." She said to herself. "With Ethan back this is even harder than it originally was. I know that Ethan is the father of the twins but I can't just forget about the feelings that I have for you. We've been through so much. Can we honestly still stay friends after it all?"

Fox just stood there with his mouth open, not believing what he was hearing. He had initially planned on coming out there to apologize to Theresa for the way he had behaved in the house. He didn't think it was fair for him to reveal his feelings for her when they had initially planned to be friends. But at that moment he could have sworn that Theresa was having second thoughts about the promise that they made to each other.

"Could I have been wrong about us Theresa?" He whispered to himself. "Do you and I actually stand a chance despite everything that's happened?"

Fox silently continued to stare at her as she held on tight to the locket in her hand, as a deep feeling of hope filled his heart.


	34. Theresa's Baby Shower

CH 33- Theresa's Baby Shower

Fox smiled as he slowly pulled up to the Lopez-Fitzgerald household. He already felt himself grow with excitement as his gaze ascended up the side of the house to Theresa's bedroom window. Ever since Christmas, he couldn't stop thinking about her and how happy it made him feel to know that she wanted to renew their relationship. Of course she didn't say those exact words, but from the way she spoke that day, it was pretty clear. That's why he had come over so suddenly. Fox had to know for sure if his assumptions were right, and that Theresa really was willing to give their love another chance.

He quickly climbed out of the car and made his way to the front porch, ringing the doorbell. It took a little while, but he soon heard her footsteps approach the door on the other side.

"Oh, hey Fox!" She smiled, stepping aside for him to come in. "I hope your not here to see Paloma because she just stepped out."

"Yeah I know, she told me she was going to go out with her friends today." He replied, quickly taking the time to admire her.

From the sweet scent of fresh apple berries, he could tell that she had just gotten out of the shower. Her hair hung in loose curls around her face and she wore a cute white tank top with long black pants that had a slit meeting half way between her calves. With little effort Theresa always managed to look beautiful and now that she was pregnant, Fox thought she looked absolutely radiant.

"So if you know that Paloma's not here, why did you come over?" She looked up at him curiously.

"Oh well, I actually wanted to talk to you about something." He nervously ran a hand through his hair.

"Ok, well can we talk about it on the way?" She asked, grabbing her purse.

"On the way? Where are we going?" He looked at her confused.

"I'm supposed to meet Gwen and Whitney over at Sheridan's cottage. You don't mind driving me over there, do you?"

"Of course not." He smiled, realizing that a car ride would be a perfect opportunity for him to talk to her.

"Great!" She grinned, looking up at the stairwell. "Ethan, are you ready to go?"

"Ethan's here?" Fox shockingly asked.

"Yeah, Sheridan said that she wanted to give him something so I told him to come along." She simply said, as Ethan came down the stairs.

"Fox," Ethan said. "What are you doing here?"

"He's going to give us a ride over to Sheridan's." Theresa replied, holding the door open. "Come on, we can talk in the car!"

As they made their way over to the cottage, Fox let out a deep sigh.

_This wasn't exactly what I had in mind. _He thought to himself. _There's no way that I can talk to Theresa now, with Ethan in the car. I guess I'll just have to talk to her later._

He tightened his grip around the steering wheel as Theresa and Ethan annoyingly continued their conversation.

"So how many video tapes do you think we will need?" Ethan asked.

"Oh, at least a hundred!" Theresa giggled. "I want to make sure to get every single move that the twins make on tape!"

"Like their first steps..." Ethan began.

"And their first words..." Theresa excitedly interrupted.

"And we can't forget their first bath!" He smiled. "That's gonna be a wet one!"

Fox rolled his eyes as the two of them continued to giggle in the back seat. Every time Ethan brushed a strand of hair from Theresa's face, Fox felt his insides burn with rage. He couldn't stand to see them together.

"Oh Fox, what was it that you wanted to talk to me about?" Theresa suddenly asked.

"Oh it was nothing," He uncomfortably cleared his throat. "We can just talk about it later."

He steered the car into Sheridan's drive way and honked the horn. When there was no response, they all climbed out and made their way over to the front door. Theresa rang the doorbell and patiently waited for someone to open the door. But strangely there was no response. They even tried knocking, but again, nobody came.

"That's strange." Theresa looked up at them. "I could have sworn that Whitney said to meet at Sheridan's. Why isn't anyone answering?"

"I have no idea." Ethan looked down at her.

"You don't think something happened, do you?" Theresa worriedly exchanged glances with Fox.

"Well there's only one way to find out." Ethan said, slowly turning the doorknob.

"Sheridan?" Theresa called, as the three of them stepped into the dark house. "Sheridan, are you here?"

Fox flipped on the light switch, to reveal a fully decorated living room filled with tons of yellow pink and blue balloons.

"Surprise!"

Theresa screamed in shock as Whitney, Sheridan, Gwen, Paloma, Charity, Simone and Kay all jumped out from their hiding places.

"Oh my gosh!" Theresa exclaimed as her eyes fixed on the enormous banner in the centre of the living room reading, 'Baby Shower!!'

"So how did I do?" Ethan yelled over to Sheridan. "She didn't suspect a thing!"

"Excellent Ethan!" Sheridan laughed. "She definitely looked surprised!"

"You knew about this?" Theresa playfully punched him in the arm. "I can't believe you didn't tell me!"

"Well it wouldn't have been much of a surprise if you knew, now would it Theresa?" Whitney came over and hugged her.

"No I guess not." She smiled.

Fox quietly stood in the corner as Theresa made her way to the centre of the living room where tons of gifts took over the entire carpet. He smiled as her face lit up at the many presents that stared back at her. He loved seeing her so happy.

"Hey you," Paloma crept up beside him. "I was hoping you'd come."

"Yeah, Theresa asked me to give her a ride over here. But this was a surprise for me too because I had no idea you girls were throwing her a baby shower." He smiled, kissing her sweetly.

"Sorry I lied to you about going out with my friends. I just didn't want you to accidentally tell Theresa about the party." She apologized.

"Don't worry about it." He smiled down at her. "It was nice for you guys to do this for her."

After kissing her one last time, Paloma went over to the living room to join the rest of the girls. Suddenly Fox felt a little out of place as he watched Theresa open her gifts with Ethan close by. A feeling of sadness swept over him as he slowly realized that his assumptions were way off base. Whatever made him think that Theresa wanted to renew their relationship was gone now. It was pretty obvious that she never had such an intention. He had once again let his emotions get in the way of his thinking. But he couldn't be upset with her. They had made the agreement to stay friends and that's exactly what she was doing. She was moving on with her life, while he, like a fool, kept holding on to false hope.

Feeling completely miserable, Fox slowly made his way to the door.

"Where do you think you're going?" Theresa suddenly looked up.

"I was just gonna get going." He simply replied. "I have a few things that I need to do."

"Oh no you're not. You are going to stay right here and help me open these gifts!" She insisted.

"Yeah Fox," Paloma smiled. "Besides, you're going to be the twins' favorite uncle. You have to be a part of this!"

"Alright, if you insist!" He finally gave up, walking over to them.

Sitting on a nearby chair, he watched as Theresa continued to open Gwen and Hank's gift.

"Awww, these are so cute!" She exclaimed, as she held up the two baby tees, and rattles. "And look, one's pink and the other one is yellow!"

"Well we figured yellow was a safe color for a boy or a girl, since we don't know what the other little one is yet." Gwen giggled.

"Well Fox thinks that it's going to be a boy but I'm almost positive that it's going to be a girl!" Theresa smiled looking over at him.

"Well boy or girl, these little angels are going to be perfect!" Sheridan smiled, whispering to Theresa's tummy. "Because like my mother used to say, 'Pink or blue we will still love you!'"

"That's right." Luis smiled, kissing her hair.

They spent the next few hours eating cake, laughing and opening more gifts. After all the presents were opened, Theresa leaned back in the chair and let out a sigh.

"My goodness! Where am I going to fit all these things?" She laughed.

"Well look at it this way, at least we won't have to buy anything for the nursery room!" Ethan winked at her. "Actually that reminds me of something."

"What?" Theresa looked up at him.

"Well, we need to start fixing up the nursery room as soon as possible, and I was thinking we could use Luis' old room to do it in."

"That's a great idea." She nodded. "But I don't want you to worry about that right now. You just got out of the hospital and I don't want you to have to come over to our house every second."

"Well, that's the thing. I don't think I'll have to." He smirked.

"What do you mean?" Theresa asked confused.

"Well, I was talking to Pilar earlier today about where I was going to stay now that I'm not a Crane and she gave me the most amazing offer." He began. "With the babies on the way, she thought that it would be best for me to be close by incase you go into labor. So, she graciously welcomed me to stay at your house permanently!"

Fox suddenly looked up as Ethan finished his sentence.

_Permanently?_ He repeated to himself.

"Are you serious?" Theresa happily squealed. "That's the greatest news ever!"

Whitney and Gwen exchanged shocked glances as the two of them simultaneously looked over at a saddened Fox.

Theresa excitedly wrapped her arms around Ethan's neck and pulled him in for a passionate kiss, unaware of the hurt expression that flashed across Fox's face.

Immediate rage filled his insides as he continued to watch them. An image of Theresa and Ethan sleeping in the same bed flickered in his mind, as he bowed his head in disgust. Tightening his fists together, he struggled to remain calm.

Suddenly Paloma came over to him, and lovingly wrapped her arms around his neck.

Not wanting to reveal the pain that he was in, he sweetly kissed her on the cheek.

"Isn't this wonderful?" She happily sighed. "Theresa and Ethan are so lucky!"

"Yup," He impassively replied.

"They are going to have two of the most beautiful babies and now that Ethan is going to move into our house, they can finally begin their new life as a real family!" She continued, gently rubbing her cheek against his. "I can't wait until we finally find happiness like that."

Fox miserably sighed, as he softly stroked Paloma's arm.

_I did find happiness like that once and it was with Theresa. _He thought to himself. _But all that is going to change because thanks to Ethan, I have officially lost her forever._


	35. Happy New Years!

CH 34- Happy New Years!

After driving Theresa and Paloma home, Fox miserably returned to the mansion and took a long cool shower. After what seemed like hours, he finally got out and slipped into his room, trying his best to make as little noise as possible. The last thing he wanted was for Ivy to wake up and inquire about Ethan's whereabouts.

He sat at the edge of his bed and rested his head in his hands, feeling the excess water trickle down his back.

"Damn it Fox!" He said out loud. "Why are you letting this bother you?"

He intensely rubbed his temples until they ached.

"She's just moving on with her life!" He rose from the bed and began to pace. "That IS what we agreed to do!"

He frustratingly pounded his fists together as he felt the tears swell in his eyes.

"So then why do I feel like my heart has been ripped out of my body?" He sadly whispered. "Why do I always let her do this to me?"

Suddenly he noticed that his wallet had fallen out of his pants pocket, and all its contents laid scattered on the floor. As he bent down to pick it up, a picture of him and Theresa stuck out from one of the flaps. Holding the photograph in his hand, he let out a deep sigh.

"How did you do it?" He whispered to her angelic face. "How did you move on so fast? Didn't you love me at all?"

He closed his eyes as he already knew the answer to his question.

Of course Theresa loved him. It was just because of the situation that they were in. If only things had worked out differently. She'd probably be in his arms right now. But she wasn't. She was with Ethan.

Instant rage filled his insides as he violently stuffed the picture back into his wallet and threw it aside.

"I have to get you out of my system!" He said through clenched teeth. "I can't go on like this! If you found it so easy to move on, then so should I!"

As he hastily looked around the room for something to keep his mind occupied, a picture of Paloma by his bedside caught his eye.

He walked over to his bed and sat down, holding the picture in his hands.

"I don't even deserve you." He whispered, tracing the outline of her face with his thumb. "You've been so wonderful to me and this whole time, my heart has belonged to someone else."

He slowly hung his head in shame, as the words 'I'm Sorry' escaped from his lips.

"Here I have this beautiful and caring girl who's absolutely in love with me and I can't seem to get her sister out of my head. What kind of person am I?" He murmured, laying his head down on the pillow.

He closed his eyes as he thought about Paloma, a small tear trickling down his face. As he turned his head to the side, something shiny in his dresser drawer caught his eye. He immediately sat up and went over to it, pulling the drawer all the way open. When he saw what laid inside, his heart began to beat rapidly.

As he held the small ring in his hand, an instant memory flashed in his mind. He could still feel the intense pain in his chest as he remembered hearing Theresa say that she was pregnant by Ethan. That was probably the worst day of his life, and he would never forget it.

Still twirling the ring between his fingers, the events of that night still played back in his memory.

"I never did get to use this that night." He said to himself, admiring the tiny exquisite diamonds. "It's so beautiful; it would almost be a shame for it to go to waste."

As he glanced back at the picture of Paloma, a smile crept into the corners of his mouth.

"Even though there's a good chance that I will never be able to place this on Theresa's finger again, there is still one more Lopez-Fitzgerald woman who could very well wear this ring." He whispered to his reflection in the mirror.

"Fox, I think it's time for you to move on." He slowly smiled. "And I think I have a pretty good idea who you should move on with."

The sound of piano chimes rang from downstairs as Fox continued to get dressed in his bedroom. It was the night after and everyone in Harmony had gathered at the Crane Mansion for the annual New Year's celebration.

As he pulled on his jacket, Fox looked at his reflection in the mirror and let out a deep breath.

"Well, tonight's the night buddy." He murmured. "Tonight you're going to propose to a very special young lady."

Just then, he heard a small knock on the door and Ivy poked her head into the room.

"Fox, are you in here?" She called, smiling when she saw him. "Oh darling, you look so handsome."

"You look quite enchanting yourself, mother." He replied, admiring her attire.

Ivy wore a long elegant blue-silver gown that flowed in beautiful waves to the ground. The thin strapped dress showed off Ivy's slender back, while gracefully drawing attention to the 10-carat silver necklace around her neck. Her hair was pinned up altogether in a stylish bun, giving her a very sophisticated and pleasant look.

"Why thank you sweetheart." She graciously smiled. "But I just came up here to tell you that most of the guests have started to arrive. Paloma looks absolutely radiant tonight. I'm so happy that you two are together. You make a much better couple than when you were with that gold digger Theresa."

"Mother," Fox warningly looked at her.

"I'm sorry honey, but I don't like that girl. All she does is cause trouble." Ivy continued. "I just thank God that Ethan is well now, even though Theresa was fully to blame for his initial condition."

"Mother, I mean it." Fox interrupted her.

"Alright I'll stop." She gave in. "But it doesn't mean that my feelings towards her have changed. Anyways, let's just go downstairs and welcome everyone. I have a feeling that tonight's going to be one of those nights."

"I couldn't agree with you more." Fox smiled at her. "I'll be down in a second."

As she made her way downstairs, he quickly reached into the drawer and pulled out the small black box.

"This is it Fox." He said to himself, placing it into his pocket. "It's Showtime!"

He closed the door behind him and followed Ivy down the stairs. As he made his appearance, he smiled as he admired all the beautiful people crowded in the room.

Chad and Whitney danced sweetly together with Theresa and Ethan close by. Both ladies looked absolutely gorgeous. Whitney wore a strapless salmon colored gown that flowed elegantly down to her toes. The top half of the dress was made of complete lace, while the bottom half closely wrapped around her slender hips in a beautiful satin material. With the combination of her mesmerizing curls she looked completely stunning. Theresa wore a soft ivory colored strapless maternity dress that complimented her beautiful tanned skin. The gown was draped in feather-like trimming around the bottom and top and cascaded beautifully against her slender calves. Fox thought she looked absolutely breath-taking. He always loved when she wore her hair in loose curls. The softness of her complete attire gave her an altogether angelic appearance.

Sheridan and Gwen looked completely stunning in their gowns as they mingled with Luis and Hank at their side. Sheridan wore a beautiful mermaid-like dress that exposed her slender shoulders. The gown was bathed in hues of blue, green and sea shell-pink, and fit her closely along her mid thighs, finishing in a light flowing satin material down to the ground. Her hair tucked neatly just below her ears, giving her whole attire a very fresh and spring-like look. Gwen sported a more Latin-themed look. Her hair was neatly pinned to the side in an elegant bun, decorated with a beautiful Spanish rose barrette. Her strapless gown was made of a sexy black satin material that was trimmed with lush pink flowers, creeping up her leg baring slit. The dress looked absolutely magnificent on her.

Fox made his way through the crowd and stopped when he saw Pilar approaching him.

Her long white strapless gown cascaded in beautiful waves down to her toes, complimenting her sexy curves in an elegant and dazzling altogether look. Although she was a mother of five, her entire look gave her a most youthful and glowing appearance.

"Good evening Pilar," Fox smiled kissing her hand. "May I just say that you look absolutely ravishing tonight?"

"Oh Fox," Pilar bashfully grinned. "How are you doing?"

"Good, but I'm dying to see my beautiful girlfriend." He admitted. "Have you seen Paloma anywhere?"

"Yes, I believe she's around here somewhere." Pilar said, looking around the enormous room.

"It's alright, I'll find her." He smiled, kissing her one last time.

As he eased his way through the crowd, he caught Theresa glancing at him. She looked so beautiful tonight, he longed to kiss her delicate lips and tell her how much he loved her. But he knew he couldn't. So even though it pained him to see her in Ethan's arms, he gave her his best smile and proceeded to look for Paloma. Just as he was about to give up, he saw her coming down the stairs.

Fox couldn't believe his eyes as he looked up at her. She looked absolutely stunning. Paloma wore an incredibly sexy fuchsia-pink gown that created a mesmerizing eye-catching look. The close fitting dress hugged her mid torso and proceeded to flow elegantly down to the ground, showing off her entire left leg. Her hair bounced lightly off her bare shoulders as she approached him.

"Wow!" Fox managed to say as she made her way towards him. "You look amazing."

"Thank you." Paloma sweetly smiled, as he kissed her. "So do you."

For the next few hours, everyone had a great time mingling and enjoying the night. When the clock was closely approaching midnight, Fox picked up a glass and lightly chimed it to get everyone's attention.

"Excuse me, ladies and gentlemen!" He called over the crowd. "I'm glad to see that everyone is enjoying themselves but it's once again time for that enchanting part of the night. So would you please join me in counting down the minutes to midnight?"

Fox watched as everyone excitedly gathered, and proceeded to start the countdown.

"Alright here we go..." He smiled. "10...9...8...7...6...5...4...3...2...1...Happy New Year!!"

Thousands of balloons fell from the ceiling as the sounds of laughter and clapping filled the air. Fox cupped Paloma's face in his hands and mouthed the words 'I love you', before giving her the most passionate kiss. Just as their lips parted, he looked deep into her eyes and smiled.

"There's something I want to ask you." He whispered in her ear.

"What is it?" She looked up at him bewildered.

Fox looked around the room, and noticed that Theresa was staring at them intensely. It was then that he grabbed Paloma's hand and proceeded to once again get everyone's attention.

"May I have your attention please?" He yelled, as every pair of eyes turned in their direction. "As we all celebrate a new and glorious year, I would like to ask my beautiful girlfriend a question."

As complete silence filled the room, Fox turned to Paloma and looked deep into her eyes.

"I know that we only met a couple of months ago but I feel like I've known you for an eternity. You've always been so supportive of everything I do and I just want to let you know how grateful I am for that. You're not only my girlfriend but you're also my best friend. You always know how to make me happy, when I'm feeling my worst and how to turn my darkest skies clear again. That's why I can't wait to spend my life with you."

As the tears swelled in her eyes, he pulled out the tiny box from his pocket and got down on one knee.

"Paloma Lopez-Fitzgerald, will you make me the happiest man on earth and be my wife?" He took a deep breath. "Will you marry me?"

A sudden hush grew over the crowd as Paloma proceeded to answer his question.

"Yes!" She excitedly cried. "Yes, Fox I will marry you!"

As they happily embraced a scattered sound of claps developed throughout the crowd as a distraught Theresa looked on in sheer confusion.

"_Married?"_ She softly whispered.

Suddenly she began to feel the twins kicking strangely. She quickly placed a hand to her stomach as the intense kicking increased.

"Why are they kicking so much?" She said out loud, holding her stomach in discomfort.

Noticing that she had crouched over, Ethan quickly tended to Theresa.

"Theresa? What's wrong?" He repeatedly asked her. "Is it the babies? Theresa?

But she couldn't hear a thing. It was as if all sound ceased to exist.

All she could hear was the rapid beating of her own heart and Paloma's joyous laughter from across the room.

(A/N: Hey guys! We just want to thank everyone for all the amazing reviews! You guys have us cracking up here with how much you're into the story. We know right now things aren't going so well with THEROX, but it's all part of our plan...(evil hands together). So we are begging you to plz continue reading and keep the reviews coming. We promise it will be ALL worth it in the end! -Alicia and Amanda-)


	36. With or Without Them

CH 35- With or Without Them

"_Paloma Lopez-Fitzgerald, will you marry me?"_

The strange words still floated in Theresa's memory as she blankly kept her eyes on Fox and her sister.

"Why?" She whispered, as though she were in a trance. "Why?"

"Why what, Theresa?" Ethan's faint voice suddenly sounded in her head.

"W-what?" She stammered, as the sound slowly returned to the room. "W-what are you talking about Ethan?"

"I was going to ask you the same thing." He looked at her concerned. "First you crouched over in pain and then just a few seconds ago you kept repeating the word 'why'."

"I did?" She mumbled in confusion. "I-I don't even remember saying that. I guess all the excitement is getting to my head."

She slowly stared back at an overjoyed Fox and Paloma and closed her eyes.

"Actually, I'm suddenly not feeling so well." She murmured, placing a hand to her forehead.

"Do you want me to take you to the washroom?" Ethan offered.

Not able to say another word, she slowly nodded in response as Ethan helped her up the stairs.

Once in the bathroom, Theresa splashed cold water on her face and took slow deep breaths.

"Feeling any better?" He worriedly asked her.

"Yeah, a bit. Thank you." She sighed, trying to block out the events of earlier.

"Well good because you scared me half to death." Ethan looked at her worried. "I was afraid that something was wrong with the twins when you crouched down like that."

Theresa placed a hand to her tummy as she remembered the strange intense kicking she felt earlier.

"Yeah, that was weird. The twins were kicking so much." She told him. "But I'm fine now. I guess the twins were just really happy that their Uncle Fox was getting married."

She slowly looked up at her reflection in the mirror, as tears started to swell in her eyes.

"Yeah, that was quite a shock." Ethan sat at the edge of the tub. "I didn't even know that Fox and Paloma were that close."

"Neither did I." She softly whispered.

"What was that?" Ethan asked her.

"Nothing." She quickly answered. "I'm just really surprised, that's all."

As she stared back at her reflection, her mind began to wander back to what had happened earlier. She still couldn't understand why Fox would make such a drastic decision to propose to her sister. She knew that they were dating but it never crossed her mind that they were _that_ serious. Something just didn't add up.

_Why would he just propose to her like that?_ She thought to herself. _How could he, after everything that's happened it the past week. I mean, I know we agreed to be friends but this is just so sudden. _

"What are you thinking about?" Ethan suddenly asked her. "You have that look in your eyes."

"What look?" Theresa smiled at him.

"That look that you get whenever something's bothering you." He stared at her.

"Nothing's bothering me Ethan." She lied. "I'm just trying to make sense of this whole thing with Fox and Paloma. It's so strange how he made this decision on his own without telling anyone."

"Well maybe he wanted it to be a surprise."

"I don't think so." She shook her head in disbelief.

Ethan slowly stood up and came over to her, wrapping his arms around her tummy.

"Well maybe Fox just got a bit jealous." He simply said.

"What do you mean?" Theresa looked at him through the mirror.

"Well he probably saw how happy we were, planning for the arrival of our beautiful babies and he wanted to start a family of his own, with Paloma." He replied.

Theresa let out a deep sigh as everything began to make sense.

_Oh my god, why didn't I think of this before? _She thought to herself. _That's it! That's why he proposed to her. He was desperate. He probably couldn't bear the thought of Ethan and me starting a family because of everything we've been through._

Instant tears came to her eyes as a huge feeling of guilt swept over her.

_How could I have been so insensitive? _She silently cried. _I practically rubbed my relationship with Ethan in his face. We always used to talk about the twins in front of him without ever thinking about how much pain it must have been causing him. No wonder he jumped into this proposal. He probably just came to a point where he couldn't take it anymore. _

Theresa closed her eyes as she realized her regretful mistakes.

Suddenly her thoughts were interrupted by the loud sounds of yelling coming from downstairs.

"What was that?" Ethan looked at her. "I wonder what's going on down there."

"I don't know. But that sounded like Luis." She replied. "Come on let's go see."

As they headed back down the stairs, they were surprised to see that most of the guests had left and in the once crowded room stood only Fox, Paloma, Whitney, Chad, Pilar, Luis and Sheridan.

"This is not going to happen! I forbid it!" Luis' voice boomed through the mansion.

"You can't do that!" Paloma shot back. "I am old enough to make my own decisions and I am going to marry Fox!"

"Like hell you are!" Luis looked at her seriously.

Theresa and Ethan rushed to the living room to try and calm everyone down.

"What is going on in here?" She asked, standing next to Sheridan.

"Your brother is trying to convince Paloma that marrying Fox is a bad idea." Pilar explained to her daughter.

"It _is_ a bad idea!" Luis insisted.

"But we love each other!" Paloma yelled.

Theresa stared at Fox and he continued to remain silent.

"Paloma, you are too young to know anything about love!" Luis looked at her.

"How dare you!" Paloma cried in anger. "You don't know what I feel!"

"I know that you are only nineteen years old, and therefore you are too young to get married!"

"I don't believe this!" She threw her hands up. "Theresa was just about my age when she got married to Ethan and nobody said anything about that!"

"That was different." Luis simply said.

"How?" Paloma challenged him. "You know what? Save it, because I already know the answer. There was no difference! You guys are just acting like this because I am the _baby _of the family!"

"Mija that is not true." Pilar tried to convince her.

"Yes it is, Mama!" She interrupted. "But I don't care! You can't tell me what to do! I'm old enough to make my own decisions. Like for example, I would like Theresa to be my bridesmaid."

Theresa's heart skipped a beat as Paloma looked at her.

"Please say you will do it." She smiled at her. "You're the only one who I know will support me on this."

"Um, I'm sorry Paloma but I can't." She awkwardly looked at her.

"Why not?" Paloma sadly asked.

Theresa knew that the real reason why she didn't want to be Paloma's bridesmaid was because of her feelings for Fox. There was no way that she could stand by and watch the man that she loved marry her sister. It would be too unbearable.

"Because," she fumbled. "I agree with Luis. You're way too young to get married."

"I don't believe this!" Paloma cried. "My own sister!"

"Paloma, you don't understand—" Theresa tried to explain.

"Yes I do!" She interrupted her. "My own family has turned their back on me when I need them the most! All I am asking is for you to come to my wedding and none of you can do that."

"Paloma, your family is not turning their back on you." Fox placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"No, it's ok Fox. You don't have to defend them." She smiled up at him, before turning a hateful glare to the rest of them. "I understand exactly what is going on here. But I don't care because I don't need any of you. I have gone 18 years by myself so I certainly don't need you now. I love Fox and he loves me and I am going to marry him with or without my family!"


	37. Awaiting

CH 36- Awaiting

—**Three Months Later—**

"Ok, so with your aunt and uncle that makes twenty people on your side of the family, and with Mama, and Miguel that makes two people on my side." Paloma rolled her eyes. "I hope there will be enough seats for them!"

Fox smiled as he heard the sarcasm in her voice.

He dried the excess water from his hair and threw the towel aside before joining her on his bed.

"Baby, please don't do this." He begged her, kissing the nape of her neck. "We're getting married in two days. This is supposed to be a happy time for us."

"I would be happy if my family supported me for once!" She sadly looked at him. "It's not fair Fox, why is it such a big deal for us to get married when Theresa almost married Ethan at around this exact age? They treat me like such a baby!"

"Well, that's because you kind of are." He looked her in the eyes.

"Fox!" She lightly punched him. "How can you say that?"

"No, hear me out." He giggled. "Sweetheart, you have to remember that you're the youngest of the family. Luis is just being the big brother that he's used to being. He's just looking out for you. He probably just can't accept the fact that his baby sister is growing up."

"Well, he's going to have to because I'm not a baby anymore!" She frustratingly cried.

"I know, I know." He soothingly combed through her hair. "Just give Luis some time. He'll come around. You're family loves you, trust me. Everything will be ok."

"I hope your right." She lightly kissed him.

"I always am." He winked at her.

He got up from the bed and went over to his dresser to finish buttoning up his shirt.

"I'm going to be dropping by your house today." He told her, splashing aftershave on his face.

"Oh really?" She looked up.

"Yeah, I'm going to go see how Ethan and Theresa are doing. From all the time that we've been spending preparing for the wedding, I haven't been seeing much of them lately. Do you want me to bring you anything?" He came over to her.

"Nope. Just say hi to Mama for me." Paloma smiled at him.

"Sure thing." He leaned in and gave her a long kiss. "See you later babe."

"Bye."

As he drove over to the Lopez-Fitzgerald house, he thought about how long it had been since he had seen Theresa. It had been over three months since he first proposed to Paloma and until now he had been so busy planning for wedding that he barely had time for anything else. Whitney had recently told him that Theresa and Ethan were almost set for the twins' arrival. They had already decorated the nursery and bought tons of necessities for them. A lot of things had changed over the past few months, but it was all for the best. Fox was finally getting the chance to move on with his life and Theresa was doing the same.

He pulled up in the drive way and smiled at the beautiful flower bed that surrounded the front porch.

"It looks like Pilar's been busy." He laughed, as he reached in the backseat for the gift bag he had brought.

He climbed out of the car and approached the front door, ringing the doorbell.

"Oh my goodness! Fox, what a pleasant surprise!" Pilar happily grinned, as she stepped aside for him to come in.

"Hey Pilar, how are you doing?" He smiled, hugging her.

"I'm doing well, and yourself?"

"Oh, I'm excellent." He grinned. "Everything's almost up to date with the wedding and Paloma's really excited."

"That's good." She smiled relieved. "I was hoping that she wouldn't stay upset with the family for too long. So what brings you over?"

"Actually, I came to see how Theresa was doing? Is she around?"

"Yes, she's upstairs with Ethan in the nursery." Pilar smiled. "They've really done a great job with Luis' old room. It's looks beautiful!"

"Well, I can't wait to see it." He winked at her. "I'll see you later."

As he made his way up the stairs, Fox heard talking coming from a nearby room. He carefully peaked inside and smiled when he saw Theresa. Suddenly his smile faded when Ethan came into view. Fox watched in silence as Ethan slipped his arms around Theresa's waste as she placed a teddy bear into one of the cribs. He closed his eyes as he felt his pulse rate increase.

_That should be us Theresa, not you and Ethan. We should be the ones putting finishing touches on the babies' room._ He thought to himself.

As he realized what he was saying, he quickly stopped himself and let out a deep sigh.

_You have to stop thinking like this Fox. You're going to be marrying Paloma soon. You and Theresa are over._

Suddenly he heard Theresa's phone ring in her room. He quickly hid around the corner as she hurried to answer it and Ethan followed close behind. When the coast was clear he eased his way into the room and placed the gift bag on the ground. He took a brief moment to look around, as his eyes wandered up and down the beautifully decorated space.

On both sides of the room, there were two cribs made of a beautiful dark mahogany wood. To match, two book shelves and a large rocking chair made of the same wood, stood in the corner next to the large lace-curtained window. Many dolls, books and stuffed animals occupied the spaces on the shelves. It was pretty clear to see that the enitre room was carefully planned out from the fine detail of the chiseled embroidered border along the centre of the walls, to the obvious jungle theme that spread out through the entire area. The walls were painted half ivory and half pear-green, giving the room an altogether bright and cozy look. Painted images of baby tigers, lions, giraffes and monkeys were plastered all over the walls, as well as on the blankets and throw covers inside the two baby cribs. To add to the jungle theme, tiny butterfly mobiles hung playfully above the cribs, softly playing a bedtime tune. The bumper pads were a soft peach/ beige color, which was also brought out in the fabric of the large arm chair that sat on the far corner of the room, next to the change table and dresser drawers. Fox also noticed that a lot of pillows occupied the enormous space, ranging in different pastel colors of green, blue and pink, which also brought out the soft creamy blue and beige color of the rug. From the bright sunlight that shone through the window, the room also had a very light and spring-like glow to it. It was absolutely breathtaking.

Fox walked over to one of the bookshelves and noticed that a few empty picture frames stood on every shelf. He could already imagine beautiful photographs of the babies inside them as he smiled to himself. Picking up one of the stuffed animals that laid inside the crib and taking one last glance at the room, he happily sighed.

"The twins are going to love it in here."

"You think so?" A voice was suddenly heard from behind him.

Fox spun around and grinned when he saw Theresa standing at the doorway.

"We were kind of going for a jungle-like theme." She giggled. "You think we captured it?"

"Yeah, I think so." He laughed, holding up one of the toy giraffes.

"We really wanted it to be special for them." Theresa smiled, staring into his eyes.

"Well, like I said, I really think they are going to love it." He returned her smile.

For a few moments, they just stared into each other's eyes as different emotions filled their heads. It had been a while since they had spent time together and it was a comforting feeling to be in each other's presence again. Finally Theresa broke the silence.

"So, what are you doing here?" She asked. "Is everything alright with the wedding?"

She tried to hide her uneasiness when she said the last word. It still bothered Theresa very much to know that her sister and Fox were getting married; she promised herself that she would not tell him though, knowing that it would just create a lot of confusion in their relationship.

"Yeah, everything's great!" Fox assured her. "I just decided to stop by and see how you and Ethan were since we haven't really talked to each other in a while."

"Yeah, things have been pretty crazy these past few months with you and Paloma planning for the wedding and Ethan and I preparing for the twins." She sadly looked away.

Fox instantly sensed her uneasiness and tried to change the subject.

"Well I also came by to give you this." He smiled, reaching behind one of the cribs for the gift bag.

"What's this?" She looked up at him surprised.

"Well I didn't really get to give you and Ethan a gift for your baby shower, so I just put together a little something." He grinned.

"Oh Fox, that's so thoughtful of you!" She cried, tears already shinning in her eyes.

She peered into the bag and gasped in shock at the abundance of toys and baby utensils before her eyes.

"Fox!" She cried. "Look at all this stuff! This must have cost you a fortune!"

"Theresa, I am a Crane." He jokingly reminded her.

"Right." She smiled. "I seem to always forget that since you're absolutely nothing like them."

"Well thank you." He winked at her. "Besides, I'd rather spend the Crane fortune on two of the most beautiful babies anyhow."

Among all the toys, bottles, and baby outfits, Theresa saw something that instantly brought tears to her eyes. She carefully pulled out the two matching soccer jerseys and sponge soccer balls and let out a small cry.

"Fox, these are so cute!" She squealed. "And look, one's pink and one's blue! You must really be confident that the other twin is going to be a boy."

"I sure do. Besides, as soon as the twins are born I'm going to teach them how to play soccer so we can have our official team." He giggled.

"Fox," she sighed, wiping a tear from her eye. "This is just so—"

"What is it Theresa?" He softly asked, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"I-I just can't believe how wonderful you are!" She cried, the tears pouring down her face. "Everything has been so hard lately and you've just been so nice! I don't know how I'm ever going to repay you!"

Fox confusingly looked into her eyes, as she continued to cry in his arms. From the many times that he had seen it before, Fox knew that this was just another one of Theresa's hormone attacks, as a result of the pregnancy. But he silently held her and softly combed through her hair.

"Everyone has so many bad things to say about the Cranes, but no one could ever say anything horrible about you! You're not even like them in the slightest way. You're always putting others before yourself and you're the best friend anyone could ever have! The twins are going to be so lucky to have such a caring and loving uncle as you!" She sobbed.

Fox smiled, as he once again peered around the room, suddenly feeling a warm feeling rush through him.

"No Theresa," He sighed. "I'm the lucky one."


	38. Possibilities

CH 37- Possibilities

"Aww Theresa, these are so adorable!" Gwen happily squealed, as she held up the two soccer jerseys. "Where did you get them?"

"Fox," she simply said, folding some of the baby clothes she had left over. "He dropped by today."

Gwen watched as a tiny smile crept up from the corners of Theresa's mouth.

"Oh really?" She looked at her. "I haven't seen Fox in a while. How is he?"

"He's really great." Theresa smiled. "He completely acts as though there is no tension between us even though there's probably enough of it to fill this room."

"You mean with everything that's going on with him and Paloma?" Gwen looked up.

"Yeah, that and just our relationship altogether." Theresa sighed. "Ever since we decided to be friends, things have been so confusing. I still can't believe that he's going to marry Paloma. It's absolutely absurd!"

"What's so crazy about it?" Gwen suspiciously asked her.

"Gwen, she's nineteen years old!" Theresa exclaimed. "She is _way_ too young to be getting married!"

"Is that all?"

"What do you mean?" Theresa suddenly looked up at her.

"Well, I'm just wondering if that's the only reason why you object to them getting married." She smiled, knowing that she hit a nerve.

Theresa let out a deep sigh and stared at Gwen.

"I guess another reason is because I still have pretty strong feelings for Fox." She sadly admitted. "I know we agreed to be friends, but I just can't ignore these feelings that I have. I see him with another woman and I go crazy. I just can't bear to see him with anyone else, even my own sister. Does that make me a horrible person?"

"Not horrible, just really confused." Gwen gave her a comforting smile. "But I completely understand how you're feeling. You and Fox have been through a lot. It's not easy to just forget about it all and start over."

"Yeah, well it doesn't matter how I feel because Fox is going to marry Paloma and Ethan and I going to be parents soon and nothing is ever going to change that." She sighed.

For a moment Gwen just kept silent but after a while she felt the burning need to say what was on her mind.

"Well, that's true." She began. "But what if you find out that Ethan's not the father of the twins?"

"What?" Theresa looked at her stunned. "Gwen, what are you talking about? Of course Ethan's the father of the twins. Why would you say something like that?"

Gwen turned around and faced her looking seriously into her eyes.

"Alright look, I don't want to alarm you because Ethan could very well be the father but I was just thinking, what if he isn't?"

"Gwen, that's crazy!" Theresa exclaimed. "If Ethan's not the father, then who is?"

"I don't know, Fox maybe?"

"Fox?" Theresa looked at her with widened eyes. "Ok, I know in the past I said that I wished Fox was the father of the twins but that was just wishful thinking. There's no way that that can happen. I slept with Ethan and then I got pregnant. Simple."

"But what if it's not that simple?" Gwen asked.

"Oh my gosh!" Theresa threw her hands up in frustration. "Gwen, what are you getting at?"

"Well Theresa, wasn't there a time when you told the girls and I that you and Fox slept together on the night of his party?"

"Yeah, so?" She blankly stared at her.

"Well it was only three nights after that that you accidentally slept with Ethan." She reminded her. "That wasn't very much time apart Theresa. How can you be so sure that you conceived after you slept with Ethan and not before? Remember it takes a while for a woman to know that she is pregnant."

Gwen watched as Theresa's face turned instantly pale.

"Wait—wait a minute," She frantically began. "Gwen, please tell me that you're not saying what I think you're going to say."

"I think there's a 50 percent chance that Fox could be the father of the twins and not Ethan." She told her.

"No—no that can't be!" Theresa nervously paced around the room and then turned to her friend. "Could it?"

Gwen just looked at her, her expression saying it all.

"Oh my god!" Theresa placed a hand to her forehead and sat down in the rocking chair. "What am I going to do?"

"Ok, first of all calm down." Gwen placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "The worst thing you could do now is to make any hasty decisions. Right now you have two babies who desperately need to know who their father is and one man who already thinks he is."

"Oh no," Theresa whispered.

"Oh yes," Gwen smiled at her. "With all fairness, I think you should let Ethan know what's going on."

"But he will be so hurt." Theresa worriedly looked at her. "He already thinks the twins are his. How am I supposed to tell him otherwise?"

"Well I think he'd be more upset if he heard it from someone else." Gwen sighed. "Plus, you know first hand, how much Ethan hates being lied to."

"Yeah, I haven't really been honest with Ethan in the past, so maybe I should start now."

_First thing tomorrow, I'm going to tell Ethan the truth._ She thought to herself. _I just hope he doesn't hate me forever for it._

--------------------------------------

The next day Theresa could barely eat or sleep. All she kept thinking about was how upset Ethan was going to be when she told him the heart-breaking news. She was almost relieved when Pilar had told her that he had left that morning to file some papers but she knew the time would come when the truth would have to be revealed. That afternoon, she nervously sat in her room and waited for him to come home. Finally she heard the door close from downstairs and her heartbeat began to rapidly increase.

_This is it. _She said to herself. _It's now or never._

She slowly made her way down the stairs and paused when she came to the bottom. When she turned towards the living room, she saw Ethan sitting on the couch by himself. An instant lump arose in her throat as she looked at him.

"Ethan?" She finally said.

Oh hey sweetheart, what's up?" He looked up at her.

"There's something that I have to talk to you about." She softly said.

"This sounds serious." He worriedly looked at her.

"It is." She admitted, as she nervously sat beside him. "It's about the twins."

"The twins?" Ethan instantly grew worried. "Is everything ok?"

"No, no it's nothing like that." She assured him. "The babies are fine."

"Ok so what's this all about? You're starting to scare me." He lightly touched her face.

"I don't want to scare you Ethan and I don't want to hurt you, so I'm just going to tell you the truth." She stared into his eyes.

Theresa took a deep breath and then continued to explain herself.

"Well, while you were in the coma a lot of things happened. For one thing, Fox and I were a lot more than just friends. In fact, we were heavily dating but we wanted to keep it a secret until the right time. Only things started to get out of control. First, Paloma came to Harmony and instantly fell in love with him and then there was that night when you and I accidentally slept together." She paused.

"I remember that." He recalled. "You said you thought you were making love to Fox."

"Yes, that's because three nights before that, at Fox's welcome home party, we ended up making love."

Theresa waited for him to say something, but he didn't so she continued.

"Everything just happened so fast with you being admitted to the hospital, and then us finding out how critical your condition was that when Dr. Russell told me that I was pregnant I wasn't thinking straight. I just automatically thought that it was by you, completely forgetting about the night I slept with Fox. It wasn't until yesterday while I was talking to Gwen that something occurred to me."

Ethan just sat completely motionless not saying a word.

"Since I had slept with both you and Fox in such a short period of time, there could be chance that Fox could also be the father of the twins." She blurted out, the tears falling down her face. "I'm so sorry Ethan! I swear I didn't think about this until just now and I feel terrible because I know how much you love the babies."

Ethan placed his head in his hands and let out a deep sigh.

"I know that you're upset but I just want you know that I didn't mean for this to happen!" She cried, staring at his motionless body. "Ethan, please say something!"

For a while, Ethan said nothing, but finally he turned and looked at her.

"I'm not upset." He said.

"You're not?" She confusingly looked at him.

"No," He paused. "I mean, I know I should be but I'm not. I think apart of that is because I could almost feel this coming."

"What do you mean?" Theresa asked him. "You knew there was a chance you weren't the father of the twins?"

"Oh no, trust me _that_ is definitely a surprise." He sadly looked at her. "But I had a feeling that something was going to happen to break this happy spell we had going."

Theresa just stared at him, surprised by how well he was taking the news.

"I never told you this, but the first day I woke up out of the coma I realized something." He paused for a moment. "Life is too short to waste. By some miracle I was granted another chance to live and I promised myself that I would never take advantage of that. What you just told me hurts more than words can say. But I understand that you didn't mean for it to happen."

"Ethan, I don't know what to say." Theresa still strangely looked at him. "I completely expected you to react so differently."

"Yeah, well a near-death experience will do that to you." He smiled. "Suddenly you start to see things differently. I've witnessed a lot of things since I woke up from the coma and a lot of them I didn't say out loud, until now. At first I didn't want to admit it, but it's pretty clear to see how much you still love Fox. You guys share a bond that's pretty hard to break and I'm incredibly jealous of him for that."

"Ethan—" She began.

"No, let me finish." He interrupted her. "As much as it hurts to hear that I may not be the father of the twins, there's no doubt in my mind that Fox will be a good father to them. It took me a while to see it, but he really has changed. At first I was upset when he told me that he was interested in you, but now I see I had no reason to worry. He's taken such good care of you and the twins; I don't know how I'm ever going to repay him. But I just want you to know that whatever happens I'm always going to be here for you."

He gently pulled her in for a hug as Theresa breathed out a sigh of relief.

"Thank you so much Ethan." She whispered.

"So does Fox know?" He asked.

"No he doesn't." She sighed. "I don't know how I'm going to tell him."

"Well, I think you should go do that now. He's probably at the mansion." He stood up, walking her to the door. "Do you want me to come with you?"

"No, it's ok." She smiled. "I need to do this on my own. Besides, I could use the walk over there."

"Alright," he gently kissed her forehead. "Don't be too long."

"I won't." She grinned. "Thanks again Ethan."

"No problem." He winked at her.

She opened the door and stepped out on the front porch, breathing in the cool afternoon breeze.

_I'm so glad that that went so well. _ She thought to herself. _I just hope I'm as lucky with Fox._


	39. The Talk

CH 38- The Talk

"I can't believe that tomorrow I am going to be Mrs. Nicholas Foxwarth Crane!" Paloma excitedly squealed.

"Isn't there some kind of rule against us talking to each other on the night before the wedding?" Fox laughed into the receiver.

"That's only if we see each other, silly." She giggled. "Besides, I love hearing the voice of the man that I am going to spend the rest of my life with."

"Well, you better tell him that you won't be hearing his voice much longer, because you're marrying me tomorrow." He smiled.

"Fox."

"I'm kidding!" He smirked. "I love you."

"I love you too." Paloma grinned. "That's why I can't wait to marry you tomorrow."

Fox suddenly heard her quietly sigh into the receiver.

"What's wrong baby? You sound upset."

"I'm just thinking about my family and how horrible they're being." She told him. "Except for Mama and Miguel, they have all deserted me when I need them the most. Can't we just get married now?"

"Now?" He shockingly asked. "You mean like elope?"

"Yeah!" She excitedly smiled. "Let's just get it over with! My family doesn't even care about me so why should we go through all this trouble?"

"Paloma, you're family does care about you." He tried to convince her. "Plus I know how much you want a big wedding. Besides, Pilar would be really upset if we didn't get married in a church. To not be able to see her last born get married would break her heart, don't you think?"

"Yeah, I guess it would." She admitted. "Tomorrow just seems so far away!"

"It's not," he laughed. "Just go rest that beautiful head of yours, and before you know it we will be husband and wife."

"I can't wait!" She happily grinned. "I love you."

"I love you too." He smiled. "Goodnight."

As he hung up the phone and placed it back into his pocket, he paused for a moment.

_Tomorrow I'm getting married to Paloma._

He thought to himself, staring up at the afternoon sky. The beautiful intertwining colors of orange and yellow cascaded through the remaining clouds, giving the entire Crane garden a magnificent glow. He breathed in the cool spring breeze and closed his eyes, attempting to still his mind.

"You're finally going to get the chance to move on with your life." He said out loud, finally opening his eyes. "So then why do you feel like you're about to make the biggest _mistake_ of your life?"

"That's because you don't love her."

A voice was suddenly heard from behind him.

Fox turned around to surprisingly find Luis standing at the doorway.

"Luis, what are you doing here?

"Well, Sheridan and I were just taking a walk and she remembered she forgot her sweater here at the mansion, so I came back to get it for her." He explained, making his way over to him. "I heard what you just said."

"Well, you're wrong." Fox instantly told him. "I _do _love Paloma."

"Alright fine, so you love her. But you're not _in love_ with her."

"Ok, you lost me." Fox looked at him confused.

Luis took a deep breath, before glancing up at him.

"Fox, do you know why I don't want you and Paloma to get married?"

"Yeah, because you don't want to accept the fact that your baby sister is growing up and she's old enough to make her own decisions." He quickly said.

"I see you've been talking to her quite a bit." He smirked. "But that's not it."

"So why then?" He looked at him hurt. "Don't you think I'd be good enough for her?"

"Fox, you know that's not it." He seriously looked at him. "You've proven time after time that you're nothing like the rest of your family, and I respect that. You're a good man and any woman who is lucky enough to become your wife would be well taken care of."

"So then why can't that woman be Paloma?"

"Because she's not the one that you want to spend the rest of your life with." He simply told him. "Theresa is."

For a while Fox just stared at him, surprised by his response.

"No." He shook his head, slowly walking away. "I thought she was the one, but she's not."

"You honestly believe that?" Luis doubtfully looked at his back.

"Yes." He turned around.

"Fox, when are you going to stop lying to yourself?"

"Luis—" He began.

"No, I'm serious." He interrupted. "I don't know what's wrong with you but for some reason you're trying to convince yourself that you don't love Theresa when it's so obvious that you do."

Luis watched as Fox frustratingly ran a hand through his hair.

"I see the way you look at her." He continued. "The magic is still there. You two still have that bond. It's the kind of bond that me and Sheridan have. Do you know how many times your grandfather has tried to tear us apart and failed? The old bastard still doesn't get it though. The bond that Sheridan and I have is unbreakable. Nothing will ever separate us and that's why you shouldn't let anything come between you and Theresa."

"Luis, it's not that simple." Fox mumbled.

"Sure it is—"

"No it's not!" He snapped. "She's pregnant with Ethan's children! I'm just supposed to work around that? Give me a break Luis!"

"Look, I know it's a difficult situation but—"

"No, it's not a difficult situation. It's an impossible one!" Fox stared at him. "We've tried this already, remember? When I first found out that Theresa was pregnant you tried to get me to forgive her and work towards getting back together. And I admit, it seemed possible at one point. But then what happened? I thought I overheard her tell Whitney that she was glad that Ethan was the father of the twins, and that she wanted to be with him. So I decided to get involved with Paloma, thinking that it would ease the pain of rejection. But it didn't, because I later found out that I misheard the whole thing and Theresa actually wanted to be with me. So being the mature adults that we were, we decided that the situation was too much to bear and that the best thing to do would be to remain friends, only we just recently found out that that was a little easier said than done. So for a split second we gave into our feelings and reconnected once more, and what happened? Ethan woke up. Are you seeing a pattern here Luis?" Fox stared at him. "No matter what we do, something always happens. It has to be a sign right? Theresa and I were just not meant to be."

Luis just stood in silence as he watched the pain in Fox's eyes.

"I'm sorry man, I guess I never thought about it that way." He quietly said.

"It's been hard, Luis." Fox painfully looked at him. "Nobody knows how difficult this whole thing has been for me, except me. Of course I love Theresa. I'd be telling a boldfaced lie, if I said I didn't. But that's as far as these feelings can go. She's pregnant with Ethan's children. All I'll ever be to those little angels is their uncle. I'll never be able to tuck them in at night or hear them call me daddy and it kills me because I want that more than ever. Before this whole ordeal happened, I used to dream about what it would be like to start a family with Theresa. Believe me, I wish it was me who was the father of those babies and not Ethan. But I know that that's just wishful thinking because that can never happen. It's time that I wake up and accept things for the way that they are, and that's what I'm trying to do. There's no way that Theresa and I can ever be romantically involved again, so as hard as it is, I want to move on. I want for both of us to be happy and this is the only way that I know how to do that; I marry Paloma, and Theresa can settle down with Ethan and raise the twins. I can still be a part of her life and she can still be a part of mine, just not in the way that we hoped."

"But will you really be happy?" Luis looked at him. "Can you honestly tell me that while you are married to Paloma, that you will not occasionally think about Theresa?"

Fox frustratingly dropped himself into the swing and stared up at the sky, listening to Luis's words.

"Marriage is a very sacred thing." He continued. "When the priest announces you and Paloma as man and wife, there will be no turning back. You will have already promised her that you will dedicate your entire life to her and only her. There will be no more room for Theresa in your heart, or at least there shouldn't be. Fox, I understand that this has not been easy for you, believe me. But I still don't think that you're being true to yourself. If you can honestly tell me that you love Paloma unconditionally and you are willing to spend the rest of your life with her and only her without even glancing Theresa's way, then ignore everything I just told you. But if there's even the smallest doubt in your mind about what you're going to do tomorrow, don't marry Paloma. It wouldn't be fair to her, and you'd live to regret it, trust me."

When Fox didn't answer, Luis rose from the swing and started to walk towards the door.

"I'm gonna get going. Sheridan is probably wondering where I am." He said over his shoulder. "Think about what I said. Goodnight Fox!"

"Yeah, goodnight!" He called.

For a moment Fox just sat there completely motionless, Luis' words still floating in his head.

"_You'll live to regret it, trust me."_

"What if he's right?" He whispered. "What if marrying Paloma isn't such a good idea?"

Fox discouragingly placed his head in his hands and let out a troubled sigh.

Suddenly he felt someone lightly touch his shoulder. As he slowly rose up to see who it was, he instantly felt his heart skip a beat.

"Theresa."


	40. Last Chance

CH 39- Last Chance

For a moment all time seemed to stand still, as he looked into her eyes. It was amazing how after all this time a single look from her could make him feel like he was walking on air.

"Hey Fox," Theresa finally said. "Are you busy?"

"Uh—uh no," He fumbled. "I was just thinking about some stuff. What's up?"

He moved over so she could sit next to him on the swing.

"I wanted to talk to you about something." She quietly said.

"Ok," he oddly looked at her. "Is everything alright?"

"Um, no not really." A look of sadness filled her eyes.

Fox held his breath.

"Does this have anything to do with us?" He asked her.

"Yeah," her gaze met his. "It has _everything_ to do with us."

Fox slowly exhaled, as he prepared himself for what they were going to talk about. He knew they would have had to confront each other about it sooner or later, but he wasn't expecting it to be so soon.

"Listen, I know that things have been really confusing for you lately." He looked at her.

"You do?" She asked puzzled.

"Yeah, of course." He responded. "It hasn't been easy for me either."

_Oh my god, he knows! _Theresa thought to herself. _But how? Did Ethan already tell him before I got here?_

"Fox before you say anything, I just want you to know how sorry I am." She blurted out.

"Why?" He looked at her. "You have nothing to be sorry for. I should actually be the one to apologize."

"You?" She asked, still very confused. "I don't understand."

"Well, if it was anyone who created confusion in our relationship, it was me." He began. "I proposed to Paloma. It was a drastic decision and I made it without even consulting you or your family. I'm sorry."

"Fox—" She tried to stop him.

"No, hold on let me finish." He insisted. "Ever since Christmas, things have been absolutely crazy between us. We never really did talk about that kiss that we shared in the kitchen."

"No, we didn't." Theresa slowly recalled. "Why _did_ you kiss me like that?"

"I don't know." Fox ran a hand through his hair. "I wasn't thinking straight. It was like there was some kind of an invisible force drawing me to you and I couldn't pull away."

"Yeah, I know what you mean." She nodded. "I feel that force sometimes too."

"It's confusing because we agreed to be friends, yet I can't seem to get you out of my head." He shyly admitted.

"What do you think it means?" She looked at him, hoping that he would want to get back together.

"I'm not sure, but your brother seems to think it's because of the bond we share." He lightly giggled.

"Luis?" She repeated.

"Yeah, he was here a few minutes ago."

"What did you guys talk about?" Theresa asked, trying to search his eyes.

"Nothing really, just some stuff about tomorrow."

Fox slowly stood up, not being able to look her in the eyes.

"Oh that's right, tomorrow's the big day!" She impassively smiled up at him. "Are you nervous?"

"I bit." He admitted. "But it's only because of these feelings that I still have for you. That's why I wanted to talk to you, so that we could sort this out."

"I don't understand, don't you want to marry Paloma?" She asked, hoping that he would say no.

"No, I do." He corrected her. "That's why I think that before we get married, you and I should officially end things between us."

Theresa felt her heart skip a beat, as she heard the shocking words escape from Fox's lips.

"What?" She looked up at him. "End things?"

"Yeah, so there are no more questions to answer." He explained. "I'm not going to lie to you Theresa, these past few months have been hell for me. I've been going back and forth trying to sort my feelings out and I think now I finally have. Luis is right; you and I _do_ share a bond. But I think that bond can only go as far as friendship. It's time that we face reality and stop holding on to something that can never happen. You're pregnant with Ethan's children and although I know that you never meant for it to happen, it did. There's nothing we can do to change that."

"But Fox, you can't marry Paloma because—"

"Theresa, I know what you're going to say." He interrupted her. "You're afraid that if I marry her, you and I can't be apart of each other's lives. But don't worry because we still can be. Even if I marry Paloma and you build a life with Ethan, we can still be there for each other. It'll be like old times; _before_ we got this involved."

"No, Fox you don't understand—"

"Theresa, I know it's hard but I honestly think it's the best thing." He looked her in the eyes. "I don't want to lose you. You're my best friend. Before I came to Harmony I never really had any close friends except for Dylan but that was different. What you and I share is more solid. I feel like I can tell you anything. I've never had that much trust in anyone. I'm such a better person because of you and I couldn't bear to not have you in my life. If we can't be together romantically, I at least want you in my life as a friend. I won't settle for anything less. I mean, who knows? Maybe in the future the twins, and me and Paloma's kids could end up being friends."

"You're already thinking about having kids with Paloma?" Theresa shockingly looked at him.

"Well not right now, but it could happen." He lightly giggled. "She's such a great person. In fact, she reminds me a lot of you; so warm, and caring."

Theresa took a moment to search his eyes. They were filled with so much admiration.

"You really love her, don't you?" She sadly asked him.

"Yeah I do. She's amazing."

Theresa slowly turned away from him and placed a hand to her tummy.

_I can't tell him about the twins. _She thought to herself. _He's so happy and he really seems to care about Paloma. I've hurt him so much that he's even found a way to force himself to move on. If I tell him that there's a chance he could be the father of the twins, it would put him in such an awkward position. I'm not even sure if he's the father anyhow. The twins could very well be Ethan's and I'm freaking out for nothing._

"Theresa?"

Fox's voice interrupted her thoughts.

She slowly turned around to face him.

"What's wrong?" He looked at her. "You look like something's bothering you."

As he searched her eyes, he secretly hoped that she would tell him something that would give him enough of a reason to change his mind about marrying Paloma. He loved her so much, but he couldn't go on this way. Unless there was a real reason for why he should not go through with the wedding tomorrow, he would have to force himself to move on.

"Theresa, tell me." He intensely looked at her. "Is there another reason why I shouldn't marry Paloma tomorrow?"

Theresa's head felt like it was about to explode as she struggled with the decision to tell Fox or not. She took a few moments to think, but as he looked in her eyes and impatiently waited for her response, the answer was pretty clear.

"No."

"No?" Fox repeated dumbfounded.

"No." She sadly smiled. "There's no reason at all. In fact, I'm happy for you!"

She threw her arms around his neck and pulled him in for a hug, a few tears escaping from her eyes.

"Are you sure?" He asked her, a bit disappointed.

"Absolutely!" She cried. "You and Paloma are going to be so happy together!"

"Ok," He slowly responded. "That's great. I'm glad that you're so happy."

"Of course I'm happy. My baby sister is getting married to one of the greatest guys that I know!" She grinned, trying to hide her true emotions. "But I'm going to get going. Ethan's probably wondering where I am."

"Alright." He sadly smiled, giving her one last hug. "It's getting pretty late, do you want me to drive you back home."

"No, no it's ok." She winked at him. "I'm a big girl Fox; I can find my way home."

"Ok." He lightly giggled. "I'll talk to you later alright?"

"Sure. Have a goodnight."

"Yeah, you too." He smiled, slowly turning away.

As Theresa watched him go back into the mansion, she painfully closed her eyes.

_I'm sorry I had to lie to you Fox, but I don't want to hurt you anymore._ She thought to herself. _I just hope I made the right decision._


	41. The Accident

CH 40- The Accident

_Please God. Tell me that I made the right decision._

Theresa thought to herself, as she slowly walked home.

Ever since she left Fox at the mansion, she couldn't stop thinking about what had happened and her recent discovery of the possibility that he and Ethan could be the father of the twins.

"How did everything get so complicated?" She whispered. "I just don't know what to do anymore. Instead of things getting better, everything just seems to be getting worst."

Turning down one of the familiar streets, Theresa placed a hand to her head.

"What am I going to do if the twins turn out to be Fox's?" She closed her eyes as the thought crossed her mind. "I just told him that there was no reason why he shouldn't marry Paloma. What if he marries her, and he ends up being the father?"

_God please help me, I don't know what to do?_ She silently whispered up to the heavens.

"There's no doubt in my mind that Fox will be a good father for the twins, but things have been so complicated between us lately. If this turns out to be true, and Fox really is the father, this could change our relationship in so many ways." She said out loud. "I'm just not sure if those ways will be good or bad."

As she came to the corner of the street, she stopped, noticing that the light had turned red from the corner of her eye.

"Oh no," she sighed. "Here I am worrying about what this news might do to me and Fox's relationship and I haven't even given a second thought to how Paloma is going to react to this. She's going to hate me forever!"

She once again began walking, completely lost in thought. Suddenly the loud sound of a car horn interrupted her thoughts. Theresa turned her head, but all she could see was a bright light heading straight for her. The car halted to a stop, but it was too late; Theresa's body had already slammed into the front of the bumper and laid lifelessly beside the wheel.

The driver instantly jumped out of the vehicle and ran to her side, cursing underneath his breath. Another man who was walking by joined him.

"Oh god!" He yelled. "Is she ok?"

"I-I don't think so." The driver nervously responded. "I didn't mean to hit her. She just walked into the middle of the street! The lights were still red!"

"I'm going to call the ambulance." The man quickly thought, reaching for his cell phone.

As he quickly got help, the driver tried to wake Theresa.

"Miss! Miss, can you hear me?" He called out.

To his relief, Theresa's eyes suddenly fluttered open.

"Wh-hat?" She mumbled, a flow of blood rapidly dripped from a gash above her eye.

"You were in an accident." He tried to explain to her.

"An accident?" She whispered, her words beginning to slur. "I—I—"

"Shhhhhh, don't try to speak." He concernedly told her, noticing that she was pregnant.

"The ambulance is on their way!" The other man quickly came over. "Has she come to?"

"A little, but it looks like she's going to pass out again." The driver told him, looking down at Theresa.

"P—please could—you do me a f—favor?" She muttered.

"Sure what is it?" The driver listened intently.

"Please s-save Fox's babies..."

Before she could say another word, everything went black.

----------------------------------------------

"Theresa!" Fox exclaimed, jumping out of his sleep. Beads of sweat poured down his back, as he confusingly adjusted his eyes to his dark room. He could still feel his heart pounding hard against his chest, as he struggled to control his breathing. Peering over at a sleeping Paloma, he glanced at the clock on his nightstand.

2:30 am

He rubbed his forehead and thought back to what made him suddenly wake up.

"Theresa," He whispered once more.

He couldn't explain it, but he suddenly had the strangest feeling that something was terribly wrong.

"I wonder if she got home ok." He said to himself.

He swung his feet around the bed, careful not to wake Paloma, and reached for his cell phone. As he began to dial her number he suddenly stopped.

"Fox, what are you doing?" He whispered to himself. "It's 2:30 in the morning. Theresa's probably in dreamland by now."

_You probably still have her on your mind because of what happened earlier. _He thought. _But Theresa made it very clear; things are officially over between you too. _

He put the phone back into his jacket pocket, and carefully got back into bed, softly kissing Paloma's cheek.

_You have a wedding tomorrow buddy, you need to get some sleep and stop worrying about Theresa. She's fine._

_----------------------------------------------------------_

For the first time in four hours Theresa slowly opened her eyes, to find herself in the hospital recovery room. She tried to think back, but she couldn't remember how she had gotten there and what had happened. The last thing she remembered was walking home and thinking about what had happened with Fox. Everything after that seemed like a blur.

As she slowly turned her head to the left, she instantly winced in pain. Putting a hand to her head, she felt a thick bandage above her left eye.

"What happened to me?" She whispered to herself.

Suddenly the door opened and a nurse carrying a cart with medication entered the room. As she attended to one of the other patients, she glanced over at Theresa.

"Oh, you're up?" She smiled. "Well that's good. You've been out for a while."

"How did I get here?" Theresa looked at her confused.

"You don't remember?" The nurse slowly came over to her. "You were in a pretty bad accident. You got hit by a car."

"I did?" Theresa closed her eyes, trying to remember.

"Yeah, you walked on a red light and a car accidentally hit you. It's actually quite a miracle that you're alright." She smiled at her.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, Dr Russell said that with the impact that you were hit with, she expected you to be in much more critical condition." The nurse explained. "But it's almost as if you didn't get hit at all. Except for a few cuts and scrapes, like the one above your eye, you're completely fine."

"Oh my god," Theresa happily smiled, but slowly frowned. "Wait a minute, I'm pregnant."

"Yeah, that's the other miraculous thing about it." The nurse interrupted her. "Except for being a little shaken up, the babies appear unharmed."

"But how's that possible?" Theresa asked. "I already have a complicated pregnancy. Being hit by a car should have done some serious damage to them."

"Yeah, it _should_ have but it didn't." The nurse smiled at her, wheeling her cart back to the door. "If you ask me, you definitely have an angel watching over you."

When she left the room, Theresa placed her head back on the pillow.

"This is a miracle!" She whispered, placing a hand to her tummy. "I can't believe how lucky we are!"

"Excuse me?"

Theresa raised her head to find a man standing at the doorway. For some odd reason his face looked familiar to her but she couldn't figure out why.

"Do I know you?" She asked him.

"Not really." He shakily responded. "I was the driver who accidentally hit you. I'm so sorry."

"Don't worry about it." Theresa smiled at him, urging him to come closer. "It was an accident. Besides, from what I've heard it was partly my fault. I should have been paying attention to what I was doing."

"I'm just glad that you and the babies are ok." He grinned. "So although I didn't have anything to do with it, I guess you got your wish."

"Wish?" Theresa looked at him confused.

"Yeah, don't you remember?" He told her. "When I hit you, you were really out of it. You opened your eyes for a second, but you almost instantly passed out after. But right before you slipped into unconsciousness, you said 'please save Fox's babies.' I'm guessing Fox is your husband?"

"Um...not exactly...but that's not really important right now." Theresa fumbled, once more looking up at him. "I _really _said that?"

"Yeah." He smiled at her. "But like I said, you got your wish. Anyways, I have to get going, but I _really_ am glad to see that you're ok."

"Thank you." Theresa weakly smiled. "Thank you very much. It was sweet of you to stop by."

The man politely nodded and quietly left the room.

"This must be fate." Theresa said to herself. "All of this _must_ mean something. I'm not supposed to be here. That accident should have killed me but it didn't and my babies are also unharmed. This situation could have ended so much more fatal."

She carefully reached for the phone beside her and dialed Ethan's cell phone number.

"Hello Ethan?" She said into the receiver.

"Theresa where are you? I've been so worried. You never came home last night!" Ethan frantically responded.

"I was in an accident." She told him.

"What?" He exclaimed. "An accident? Oh my god!"

"Ethan, calm down. I'm alright." She assured him. "But there's somewhere that I have to go before I come home."

"Absolutely not!" Ethan objected. "Theresa, you were in an accident. There's no way that you're going anywhere else but home. I'm coming to pick you up."

"No Ethan! Trust me, I'm fine! But I need to do this!" She insisted.

"What is so important?" Ethan frustratingly asked.

"I'll explain it to you later because I don't have that much time." Theresa told him. "Just please let everyone know that I'm ok."

"I don't know about this sweetheart, but I know better than to argue with you." Ethan gave up. "Just please promise me that you will be careful."

"I promise. Thank you for understanding." She quickly hung up, and dialed Luis' number.

_I was saved tonight._ She thought to herself. _There's a reason why I said what I said to that man. Deep in my heart, I know that Fox is the father of the twins and that's why I need to do this._

"Hello Luis?" She said, once he picked up the phone.

"Theresa, thank god! Ethan told us that you didn't come home last night. What happened?" He asked her.

"I was in an accident."

"An accident?" Luis exclaimed.

"Yes, but I'm fine." Theresa quickly assured him. "I'll explain it all to you later but right now I need you to come down to the hospital and drive me to the church."

"The church?" Luis asked. "Theresa, I'm not going to the wedding. Paloma already knows that I don't agree with it."

"Neither do I!" She told him. "That's why I need you to drive me over there. I have to stop that wedding!"


	42. Stop The Wedding!

CH 41-Stop The Wedding!

"Luis, can't you drive any faster?" Theresa yelled, as Luis sped down the road on his way to the church.

"Not unless you want me to get charged!" Luis told her, smiling at her eagerness.

"I'm sorry, but we don't have much time." She explained. "Fox can't marry Paloma, especially now that he might be the father of the twins."

"I know how stressful this is for you sis, but I have to admit that I'm glad there's a chance that Fox could be the father of the babies." Luis smiled at her. "I always knew you two were made for each other. Now that we know Fox is the father, you guys can work towards getting back together."

"Ok, Luis you're getting ahead of yourself." Theresa looked over at him. "We don't know for sure if Fox is the father of the twins. It could very well be Ethan but I have to know for sure and that's why he can't marry our sister."

"I see what you're saying." Luis slowly nodded. "It's a tough situation."

"Yes it is." She looked at him. "As soon as we get to the church, I have a lot of explaining to do. Fox is going to be so confused and Paloma is going to be crushed. But forget about the little details just drive faster!"

--------------------------------

Fox's mind raced with a thousand thoughts. He could barely hear the faint sound of the organ playing next to him, as he watched Whitney, Pilar and Gwen walk down the aisle towards him. He couldn't stop thinking about last night and the weird sensation he had that something was wrong with Theresa. They had such a strong bond; they could usually tell when something had happened to one other.

"But what could have happened to her?" He whispered to himself. "I should have just called to make sure she was ok."

"You're one lucky man, Fox."

The sound of Chad's voice snapped him back to reality.

"What? Why?" Fox turned to him.

"Paloma," Chad looked towards the aisle. "She looks beautiful."

Fox slowly turned his attention to his glowing bride. Paloma looked absolutely breath-taking. A smile crept out of the corners of his mouth as she made her way to the altar. She silently mouthed the words 'I love you', as he took her hand in his. They turned to face Father Lonagan, as he admiringly smiled at the attractive couple before him. As everyone quietly took their seats, he slowly proceeded to begin the wedding ceremony.

"Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to celebrate the marriage of this man and this woman." He briefly paused to look at Fox and Paloma. "Let us take a moment and remember those who, for reasons of time, distance and circumstances, could not be with us today. Let us remember, also, all those loved ones who came before us, who helped to shape our lives and whose memory we hold dear and still."

Fox knew that Paloma was silently saying a prayer for her father, and out of respect he whispered a prayer himself.

"Before we begin, is there anyone here today who wishes to object to the joining of this man and woman, let them speak now, or forever hold your peace." Father Lonogan took a moment to look at everyone in the church, who in turn exchanged glances with everyone else. The room was bathed in silence.

Fox slowly glanced back at the doors of the church. A part of him secretly wished that Theresa would barge through the doors and prevent the wedding from occurring. He loved Paloma, but he couldn't shake the feeling that marrying her was not such a good idea. But without a logical reason, it would be unfair to cancel the wedding. It wouldn't be right and he couldn't bear to hurt her that way. Besides, his future with Theresa was no more. She made that perfectly clear the night before. He was just going to have to move on no matter how hard it was.

"Since there are no objections, let us proceed with the wedding. "Father Lonogan announced. "May I have the rings?"

------------------------------------

"Are we there yet?" Theresa impatiently whined to her brother.

"Not yet." Luis annoyingly rolled his eyes. "You'll know when we get there."

"I'm sorry, but I'm just so worried that we're not going to get there in time." She turned to him. "If Fox marries Paloma, everything will be ruined."

"But you said that you're not even sure if Fox is the father." Luis looked at her through the review mirror. "What if you barge into the church and ruin the wedding, later finding out that Fox isn't the father at all?"

"Oh my god, I never even thought about that." Theresa bit her bottom lip." I mean, I don't even know if my suspicions are right. I could be about to ruin a perfectly good wedding for nothing."

"That's true Theresa, but you can't take any chances." Luis told her. "If there's a possibility that Fox could be the father of the twins, he has to know. It would be a whole lot worse if he marries Paloma, and your suspicions turn out to be true."

"Exactly!" She exclaimed. "We have to stop that wedding, so much is depending on it."

Theresa sat silently for a moment and thought back to the night when she had first told Fox that she was pregnant. She could still remember how happy he had been when he thought he was the father. He had been so upset when she revealed that it was Ethan she was pregnant by and not him. She had never thought in her wildest dreams that he would ever speak to her again. But that just proved what an amazing guy he was. Despite how badly she had hurt him, he still insisted on being there for her while she was pregnant. Now there was a chance that he could actually _be_ the father of the twins. Theresa hated playing with his emotions like this, but like Luis said he had a right to know. Even if he ended up hating her forever for lying to him, it was just a chance she would have to take.

"Theresa?"

Luis interrupted her thoughts.

"What?" She looked up at him. "What is it?"

"We're here." He told her, looking out the window.

Theresa glanced outside and saw that they were indeed at the church. She suddenly felt her heartbeat increase rapidly, as she realized that the time had come.

"Come on let's go!" Luis said, climbing out of the car. "We have a wedding to stop!"

----------------------------------

Fox stared into Paloma's eyes, as he just finished saying his vows. They were filled with so much love and admiration, he instantly felt like the luckiest guy in the world. He tried to think of all the wonderful times they shared together but for some odd reason none was coming to mind. Instead, all he could think about was her sister. Even Paloma's face, reminded him of Theresa: her big beautiful eyes, her soft glowing skin, her sweet smile.

Fox quickly looked away and forced himself to focus on the woman he was about to marry.

"Fox, do you take Paloma to be your lawfully wedded wife to love, honor, and cherish her from this day forward, forsaking all others, keeping only unto her for as long as you both shall live?" Father Lonogan turned to him.

Fox began to feel his hands tremble as he struggled with an answer.

"Um..." He began, looking into Paloma's waiting eyes. "I..uh..."

Suddenly Luis's familiar words floated into his memory.

"_When the priest announces you and Paloma as man and wife, there will be no turning back. You will have already promised her that you will dedicate your entire life to her and only her. There will be no more room for Theresa in your heart."_

"Fox?" Father Lonogan asked.

"Yes?" He turned to him.

"This is when you say I do." He reminded him.

"Oh right." Fox sheepishly smiled, turning back to a worried Paloma. "I—I—"

Just then, an instant moment of him and Theresa flashed in his memory.

"_Fox?" Theresa smiled, staring up at him._

"_Yes, beautiful?" He grinned, gently brushing a strand of hair away from her face._

_The cool breeze softly rustled through the leaves on the trees, and the faint sound of birds chirping sounded above them. Fox lovingly held her close to him as he slowly inhaled the sweet scent of apple-berries from her hair. _

"_Will you always love me?" Theresa asked him._

"_Are you serious?" He confusingly looked at her._

"_Just tell me," She insisted. "Will anything ever come between us?"_

"_Absolutely not." He smiled at her. "I'll always love you. We're forever and don't you ever forget that."_

"_I won't." She grinned, as he pulled her in for a long and mesmerizing kiss._

"Fox?"

Paloma's voice suddenly sounded in his head.

The extremely worried look in her eyes shone back at him intensely as she questioned his behavior.

"What's wrong?" She asked him. "Why don't you just answer the question?"

Fox took a deep breath and attempted to clear his thoughts.

"Ok," He smiled, looking into her eyes. "I d—"

"Stop the wedding!" Theresa yelled, quickly barging through the church doors. "Please, stop the wedding!"

A hush of confusion sounded through the crowd, as everyone looked at her.

"Que Pasa, Therasita?" Pilar instantly rose from her seat. "What are you doing?"

"I'm sorry mama, but I can't let Fox marry Paloma." She quickly spoke.

"Um, why not?" Paloma angrily stared at her sister.

"Because," she slowly approached him and looked into his eyes. "There's a chance that you might be the father of the twins."


	43. The Truth

CH 42- The Truth

Fox couldn't believe his ears, as Theresa still looked into his eyes.

"What did you just say?" He whispered.

"You could be the father of the twins." She quietly repeated.

"What?" Paloma shrieked. "Theresa, what are you talking about? How can Fox be the father of your babies with Ethan?"

"That's the thing Paloma," Theresa tried to explain. "Ethan might not be the father after all."

"Jesus Mijo!" Pilar whispered. "Therasita, what is going on? How can this be? You were so sure that Ethan was the father. Why would you think that now it might be Fox?"

"I know that this is all confusing, but if you just listen I'll explain everything to you." She looked over the crowd.

Theresa took the next few minutes to explain her suspicions, including all the details leading up to her recent discovery. When she finished, everyone shockingly muttered to each other.

"Of course Theresa would pull something like this!" Ivy instantly remarked. "Do you live to destroy other people's lives? Is it not bad enough that you ruined Ethan's future, now you've managed to corrupt the lives of two innocent babies that haven't even been born yet?"

"I didn't mean for this to happen!" Theresa insisted.

"Oh, and isn't that your reply for everything." Ivy snickered. "Why don't you just drop the innocent school-girl act?"

"Mother, not now!" Fox interrupted.

"Fox, please don't tell me that you're standing up for her!" Ivy turned to him. "Honey, she is playing you for a fool! The little whore probably just doesn't remember how many men she slept with—"

"That is not true!" Theresa yelled in between tears.

"I mean it mother, that's enough!" Fox warningly looked at her.

Ivy annoyingly rolled her eyes as Fox walked over to Theresa.

"How long did you suspect about this?" He searched her eyes.

"Just a few days go, I swear!" She insisted.

"Then that was _before_ we talked."

"Yes, Fox but—" Theresa began, but he interrupted her.

"Wait a minute, you _knew_ that there was a chance that I could be the father of the twins, and yet when I asked you if there was any reason why I should not marry Paloma you said no?" He looked into her eyes.

"I know, but—" She spoke.

"Theresa, how could you lie to me like that?" He hurtfully asked.

"I'm sorry Fox, but I didn't want to hurt you." She tried to explain. "I realized how happy you were with Paloma and I didn't want to ruin that based on a silly assumption that I had."

"So you think that me being the father of the twins, is silly?" He looked at her.

"No!" She insisted. "It's just—"

"Hold on!" Paloma suddenly interrupted. "You mean to tell me that there was something going on between the two of you, and no one told me?"

"Paloma, things just got really complicated—" Theresa tried to explain.

"I don't understand what could be so complicated about telling your sister the truth!" Paloma angrily stared at her, before turning to Fox. "And you! How could you pretend that you loved me when all along you were probably thinking about my sister?"

"Paloma, I didn't pretend—" He looked at her.

"Don't blame Fox, this is not his fault." Theresa defended him. "You have to believe that he loves you—"

"I don't want to hear it!" Paloma put her hands up. "You two lied to me! I don't care how complicated things were, one of you should have told me something. But no, instead you led me to believe that I had actually found someone to love me and only me. I should have known it was too good to be true."

"Paloma, please—" Theresa tried to interrupt.

"You know what hurts me the most?" Paloma continued, as though Theresa had never said a word. "I came to Harmony thinking that I could be closer to my family. Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think that my own sister would treat me like such a fool. I confided in you Theresa and I told you how I felt about Fox. You could have told me that you two were together, instead of letting me think that I actually had a chance with him. I can't believe how stupid I was."

She paused to wipe a tear that had fallen down her cheek. Suddenly she stopped and looked up at Fox.

"Now it all makes sense!" She threw her hands in the air. "You were always so concerned about Theresa's pregnancy and I never figured out why. Even when you were so worried that she had seen us kissing in the kitchen, nothing clicked. I just thought that it was because you two were such good friends. I should have known it was a lot more than that."

Fox just stared in mid air not knowing what to say. His whole body felt completely numb as he struggled to come to terms with what was happening.

"Tell me something, did you know that there was a chance that you could be the father of the twins?" She angrily stared at his motionless body.

"No, Paloma!" Theresa spoke for him. "Fox, had no idea!"

"Whatever Theresa, even if he DIDN'T know, I'm sure he probably wished he was." Paloma looked from him to Theresa. "Oh my god, you did didn't you? I don't believe this!"

"Paloma, listen to me—" Theresa gently touched her shoulder.

"Don't touch me!" Paloma fiercely pulled away. "I don't want to hear anything that you have to say! You lied to me Theresa! I can't believe you would betray me like this!"

"Paloma—" Theresa tried to grab her as she walked away, but instead received a slap to the face in response.

"Don't you ever talk to me again!" Paloma coldly stared into her eyes, before turning away.

Theresa just stood there, placing a hand to the sore spot on her cheek. She slowly turned around and looked over at Fox. He looked completely dazed and extremely hurt, but just as she was about to approach him her mother placed a hand on her shoulder.

"You can talk to him later" Pilar told her. "Go explain things to your sister. Family is more important than anything."

Theresa obediently nodded and proceeded to look for Paloma, giving Fox one more worried look. As she pushed through the back doors that Paloma had barged out of, hot tears stung her eyes.

_This is horrible_. She thought to herself. _Paloma hates me and Fox…I don't even know what Fox is thinking. He just looked so distant. I just need them to know that I never meant to hurt anyone. _

Suddenly her thoughts were interrupted by the faint sound of crying coming from the stairwell around the corner. As she followed the soft cries she spotted Paloma hunched over, her shoulders shaking fiercely. Feeling someone's presence, Paloma finally looked up and rolled her eyes when she realized it was Theresa.

"You don't listen very well do you?" She spat. "Didn't I tell you to leave me alone?"

"Paloma, I'm not going to leave you here and you can forget about me never speaking to you again." Theresa softly spoke, as she sat down next to her. "You're my sister."

"Some sister you are." Paloma muttered.

"Look, I know you're upset and you have every right to be. But I need you to hear me out." She looked at her.

When Paloma didn't respond, Theresa continued.

"Fox and I were together way before you two started dating, so don't think that he cheated on you." She began. "I know you don't understand why neither of us told you, but trust me when I say that things just got really complicated. Even though Fox and I had broken up, we still struggled with our feelings for each other. We knew we still loved each other but under the circumstances that we were in, we couldn't act on our feelings. That's why Fox never told you anything. We both agreed that it was best for him to move on with someone else. He thought that I didn't love him anymore but that's not true, I did and I still do. That's why when I realized that there was a chance that he could be the father of the twins I had to tell him. I couldn't just let him marry my sister and hope that everything turned out ok. I know that this is not making any sense to you and you probably think that I'm the most selfish person in the world. But Paloma, you have to believe that I didn't mean for this to happen."

"I know Theresa, but you don't understand how I'm feeling right now." Paloma looked at her. "Look, I understand that it was a difficult situation. I understand that you and Fox still have feelings for each other. I even understand why you had to stop the wedding. What I don't understand is why you felt you couldn't tell me? Theresa, I'm not a baby anymore and that's something that I think everyone in this family needs to realize. Just because I'm the youngest, it doesn't mean I'm incapable of understanding certain things. If you had come to me and explained that you and Fox were dating, I would never have even looked his way. I just wish that you would have trusted me enough to tell me the truth."

"Yeah, it seems I'm having some trouble with this _truth_ thing." Theresa sadly admitted. "I'm sorry Paloma."

"It's ok," She smiled, pulling her in for a hug. "The most important thing now, is that we find the father of these two angels."

Theresa lightly rubbed her tummy.

"I think I should go talk to Fox now, thanks again for understanding." She smiled. "You really are growing up."

"No problem, what are sisters for?" Paloma winked, giving her one last hug. "You go ahead though, I'm just going to sit here for a bit."

"Ok." Theresa looked at her. "I'll see you inside."

As she walked back into the church, most of the guests had already left. Only Whitney, Gwen, Chad, Hank, Luis and her mother were left.

"Theresa," Gwen immediately hugged her. "Is everything ok with you and Paloma?"

"Yeah, we talked and she pretty much understands what happened."

"Thank goodness!" Pilar smiled.

Theresa sadly looked around the room and realized that someone was missing.

"Where's Fox?" She worriedly asked them. "Please don't tell me that he left."

"Don't worry Theresa, I saw him slip out the side doors." Whitney reassured her. "He's probably just outside."

"Ok good. I really need to talk to him."

Just as she was about to go look for him, a rush of dizziness swept over her.

"Theresa, are you ok?" Whitney and Gwen rushed over to her.

"Um, ya I think so." She replied, putting a hand to her head. "It's probably just because of everything that's happening."

"Well take it easy honey," Gwen consoled her. "Do you want one of us to come out with you?"

"No, I'm fine." Theresa reassured them. "Thanks though."

She slowly turned and continued to make her way out the doors. Just as she stepped outside, she saw Fox leaning over the balcony railing. As she quietly approached him, she noticed him wipe a tear from his eye.

_Oh Fox_, she thought to herself. _I've hurt you so much. I must be the most horrible person in the world to have hurt you so many times. Even if you never forgive me for all of this, I guess I'll deserve it. But I have to clear the air between us. Too much is at stake. _

She softly rubbed her tummy and carefully placed a hand on his back.

"Fox?" She whispered.

The sudden contact made him jump back in surprise.

"Theresa!" He exclaimed, wiping his eyes dry with the back of his hand. "I didn't hear anyone come out."

"I was pretty quiet." She whispered, not knowing what to say. "Look, Fox—"

"Wait!" He put his hand up. "You've done enough talking for tonight. Why don't you let me ask the questions?"

"Ok," Theresa sadly looked at him.

He slowly inhaled the cool night breeze before turning to her.

"Do you love me?" He painfully stared into her eyes.

"Fox, what do you mean do I love you?" Theresa looked at him confused.

"Just answer me!" He yelled, growing irritated. "Do you love me? Because if you do love me, I just want to know how could you not tell me what was going on? How could you not even let me know what you were thinking? Theresa, I thought we could tell each other everything."

"We can—" She began.

"Obviously we can't!" He yelled once more. "You of all people knew how much I care for those babies. You knew that if there was even the slightest chance that I could be the father of the twins, I would want to know. Theresa, do you not understand how much this is killing me right now?"

Fox watched as a tear rolled down her cheek.

"I was there for you through it all." He whispered. "Even when you had hurt me in the worst way possible I was still there for you and those babies."

"Fox, I know!" She cried hysterically. "I know that you have been there for me and I know I probably didn't deserve it. But I don't know what else to say! I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! Please, just believe me when I say that I didn't know what else to do! I saw how happy you were with Paloma and I couldn't bear to hurt you anymore! Did you even know that I was in an accident earlier today?"

"What?" He came closer to her. "An accident?"

"Yes!" She cried. "I was hit by a car! But as you can see I'm fine, and the babies are fine! That's why I HAD to come here and do this! The fact that God saved me and my babies tonight is just enough proof that you are the father of these kids! But I still don't know that for sure! My heart is telling me that you're their father but yet my head is telling me that Ethan could be the father too! I just can't take this anymore! This has just been an ever-lasting rollercoaster that does not want to stop!"

Fox instantly felt his insides ache as he realized how much pain Theresa was in.

"Everyone thinks that I'm just this big monster who lives to ruin people's lives but I am not Fox!" She desperately stared into his eyes. "I'm just trying to find answers! I need to know who the father of my babies are! I just can't take any more of this! I—"

Suddenly Theresa fell to the ground and held her stomach wincing in pain.

"Theresa!" Fox's eyes grew with concern as he knelt down beside her. "What is it?"

"I-I don't know!" She cried. "I think my water just broke!"

"Right now?" Fox exclaimed.

"Yes, but it's too early!" She cried. "The babies aren't supposed to be due for another month!"

Hearing Theresa's cries, Gwen and Whitney came rushing outside.

"Oh my god!" Whitney exclaimed. "Fox, what happened?"

"Her water just broke." He quickly spoke, softly rubbing Theresa's hair. "Gwen, go call Luis and tell him that we have to go to the hospital. Whitney, go get Chad and tell him to go pick up Ethan. Theresa's having the twins!"


	44. It's Time!

CH 43- It's Time!

"We need a doctor!" Fox yelled as he burst through the doors of the hospital carrying Theresa in his arms.

The others closely followed behind as a nurse quickly approached them.

"Is there something I can help you with sir?" She asked an agitated Fox.

"Yes, my friend is in labor. Can you please page Dr Russell?" He quickly spoke.

"There's no need for that Fox, I'm right here." Eve suddenly appeared from around the corner.

"Oh, thank goodness!" He breathed a sigh of relief. "Dr. Russell, Theresa's having the babies."

"Yes, she sure is!" Eve smiled. "Theresa, how are you feeling?"

"I'm ok, but I keep having really sharp pains." She said in between clenched teeth, as Fox helped her into a wheelchair.

"Dr. Russell, is she and the babies going to be ok?" Ethan concernedly asked.

"I hope so, but right now we need to get Theresa into the delivery room." She told them. "Nurse Linda, can you call Dr Anderson and ask her to come down to the hospital right away?"

"Certainly." The nurse obediently nodded.

As Dr. Russell wheeled Theresa around the corner, both Ethan and Fox quickly followed behind. Suddenly the nurse stopped them.

"I'm sorry but only one of you can go inside the delivery room." She objected.

"No, please!" Theresa immediately spoke up. "I want them both to come."

The nurse skeptically looked at Eve, but she gave her an approved nod.

"It's alright nurse, this time you have my permission."

"Thank you Dr Russell." Fox and Ethan said in unison.

As the next few hours passed, Theresa's contractions grew more and more intense. Both Fox and Ethan held her hands as she struggled to push.

"Come on Theresa, push!" Ethan urged her.

"I can't!" she yelled exhaustingly.

"Yes, you can sweetheart. Come on, are you ready?" Fox tightened his grip on her hand.

Theresa closed her eyes and pushed with all her might.

"Aaaaaaaaaaaah!" she cried. "It hurts!"

"I know, I know!" Fox soothingly told her.

"No, you don't!" Theresa yelled. "Neither of you do!"

"Ok honey, I want you to concentrate!" Dr Anderson coached her on. "I need you to give me a few more pushes and we'll have baby number one out in no time!"

"Oh my god!" Theresa cried. "I forgot I was having twins! There's no way I can push anymore!"

"Come on, Theresa I know you can do this!" Ethan kissed her forehead.

"That's right, you're a strong girl!" Fox added.

"Alright Theresa, on the count of three I want you to give me one giant push!" Dr Anderson coached. "One..two..three!"

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh!" Theresa cried.

"I can see the head!" Dr. Anderson announced. "Just one more push!"

Theresa buried her chin in her chest and pushed as hard as she could.

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!"

Suddenly, tender cries sounded throughout the room as Dr. Anderson smiled through her mask.

"It's a girl!" She happily cried, holding up the tiny screaming infant for them to see.

"Oh my gosh!" Theresa sobbed. "She's so beautiful!"

"Just like her mother." Fox winked down at her.

"Which one of you wants to cut the umbilical cord?" The doctor looked from Fox to Ethan.

"Uh, you can do it man." Fox told him. "I'll get baby number two."

"Thanks." Ethan smiled, as he carefully made the incision.

Suddenly Theresa let out a dreadful scream as increasing pains struck her insides.

"Ok, it looks like it's time for the second one!" Dr Anderson announced. "Alright Theresa, remember just like before!"

As Theresa prepared herself to push once more, she suddenly felt a feeling of dizziness sweep over her. Collapsing back onto the pillow, she let out an exhausted sigh.

"Honey, are you alright?" Dr Anderson concernedly asked. "Do you need some oxygen?"

"No, no I'm alright!" Theresa forced herself to sit back up. "I can do this!"

"That's a girl!" Dr. Anderson encouraged her. "Now, just give me those same strong pushes as before."

"Ok!" She cried. "Aaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhh!"

"That's it Theresa! You're doing great!" Ethan urged her.

"Just one more!" Fox added.

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!" Theresa cried once more.

Before long, another set of cries were heard as Dr. Anderson held up baby number two. Theresa didn't even get to see the baby because she immediately collapsed back onto the pillow breathing intensely.

"You did it Theresa!" Fox whispered in her ear as he soothingly wiped the sweat off her forehead. "I'm so proud of you."

"Me too, honey." Ethan kissed her. "You were incredible!"

"It's a boy!" Dr. Anderson announced, interrupting them.

"Huh?" Fox suddenly raised his head up. "Did you just say it was a boy?"

"I sure did!" Dr Anderson smiled. "A beautiful and healthy baby boy!"

"A boy and a girl?" Fox shockingly asked, remembering his accurate prediction

"Isn't that what you said they were going to be, Fox?" Theresa weakly looked at him. "That's amazing!"

"I know," he whispered as he walked over to Dr Anderson.

Carefully cutting the umbilical cord, he let the nurses clean him off before holding the tiny infant in his arms. As Fox looked down at the baby's angelic face, a feeling of warmth ran through his entire body.

"Hey there buddy!" Fox smiled. "Now, aren't you handsome?"

"They're both incredibly beautiful." Ethan grinned, as he held the little girl in his arms.

As Theresa looked on, tears of joy ran down her cheeks. However, almost instantly a feeling of sadness swept over her. Looking from Ethan to Fox, she just realized that they still didn't know who the babies' father was. Both men looked so attached to the infants, Theresa hated that she had to destroy that. Nevertheless, it was something she had to do.

"Dr. Russell?" She weakly spoke.

"Yes Theresa, what is it?" Eve smiled coming over to her.

"I was wondering if it was too early to do a DNA test on Fox, Ethan and the babies."

Immediately both men raised their heads, as they realized what Theresa was asking.

"No, it's not too early. If you want to do the DNA test now, that will be fine." Eve confirmed. "However, the results won't be ready until 24 hours has elapsed. So if we do the test now, you won't know the results until tomorrow."

"I understand." Theresa sadly nodded her head.

"Sorry to break this up, but we have to take the babies for a while so we can give them a thorough check up." One of the nurses told Fox and Ethan.

"Oh sure," Fox smiled carefully placing the baby into the incubator.

"We'll see you two later ok?" Ethan grinned, placing the other baby into her incubator.

"We should probably let Theresa get some rest too." Dr Anderson added. "She's been through a lot today."

"She sure has." Fox agreed, giving her a kiss on her forehead.

"We're really proud of you honey." Ethan smiled. "We're going to be with Dr Russell if you need anything."

"Ok," Theresa weakly smiled. Make sure you tell everyone the good news!"

"We will!" They said in unison.

As soon as everyone left the room, she sadly sighed and closed her eyes. Almost instantly images of her angelic babies' face flashed in her mind as she dreamed of her future family without a single clue as to who the father was going to be.


	45. Two Daddies

CH 44- Two Daddies

After Dr Russell had done the DNA test and Ethan and Fox had told everyone the good news about the babies, everyone had left. It was now three in the morning and both Ethan and Fox were standing in front of the nursery room peering through the glass at the twins. Neither of them could sleep, knowing that in a few hours they would all receive the news that would change their lives forever. So in the mean time, they just enjoyed the moment of _not_ knowing who the twins' father was—it was less painful that way anyhow.

"They are so beautiful." Fox whispered, breaking the silence between them.

"I know." Ethan smiled, admiring their tiny sleeping faces. "I've never seen anything as incredible as what I saw today."

"Tell me about it." Fox agreed. "I mean, I've heard that witnessing childbirth was pretty amazing, but I never thought it would be so—so—"

"Miraculous." Ethan finished his sentence.

"Yeah," He smiled. "Theresa did an incredible job."

"She sure did." Ethan finally looked at him and saw the love that reflected in his eyes. "You really love her don't you?"

"With all my heart." He seriously admitted. "I know that we agreed to move on, but I just can't. And now that I know there's a chance that I could be the father of those babies, it doesn't make the pain any less."

Suddenly Fox realized what he had said, and give Ethan an apologetic look.

"No, it's ok" Ethan put up his hand. "I understand what you mean. I've been trying to get Theresa out of my system for a while now but it's almost impossible. She almost has this power over you—"

"And no matter how hard you try, you just can't seem to get those beautiful eyes out of your head." Fox finished.

Both of them laughed as they realized how in love they were.

Suddenly Fox got incredibly serious and looked over at his half brother.

"You know, the next few hours are going to affect our lives dramatically Ethan. But I just want you to know that if the twins turn out to be yours, I won't try to get between you and Theresa."

"Thank you." Ethan smiled at him. "But I was actually going to just say the same thing to you. I know I told you this before, but I never quite realized how much you loved Theresa until these passed couple of weeks. After I had awakened from my coma, I saw something that I didn't want to admit. She loves you—Theresa _really_ loves you. I mean, I don't know what happened when I was in the coma between you two, but I know it had to have been something incredible because I look in her eyes and all I can see is this burning love. I know that that love is partly directed to me, but the majority of it is for you Fox. So if the twins _do_ turn out to be yours, I won't even dream about coming between you two because I know that those twins will have the best father they could ever ask for."

Fox couldn't hold back his emotions any longer as he pulled Ethan in for a hug.

"Thanks man." He managed to say. "You don't know how much that means to me."

"Well it's the truth." Ethan told him. "I know that we haven't been the closest throughout the years and legally we're only half brothers but no matter what the documents say, you're my little brother and I'll always be here for you."

"Same here." Fox smiled at him, peering over at the window. "You know what? You two little angels are pretty lucky because not only will you have a great dad but you're also going to have a pretty awesome uncle too."

They both grinned and took the next few hours admiring the two most beautiful babies in the entire universe.

--------------------------------------------------------------

"Ok you two, we have to be very quiet." Fox whispered at the twins. "We don't want to wake up your mommy—well at least not yet."

He smiled as he carefully wheeled the incubators into Theresa's room. He gently picked up both babies and made his way carefully over to her bedside. He took a moment to look at her as the sun's rays flowed softly across her face.

"Now you two know where you got your good looks from." Fox winked down at the two infants in his arms. "Good morning mommy!"

He softly sang as Theresa slowly opened her eyes.

"Fox." She grinned at the beautiful image in front of her. "What a nice surprise!"

"Well I _had_ to bring them. They were practically starting a riot in the nursery because they wanted to see you so much!" He smiled.

"You're so silly." She giggled, as he placed one of the babies in her arms.

Theresa wiped a tear that had escaped from the corner of her eye.

"Hi honey," She smiled down at her daughter. "Did you have a good sleep?"

"Oh yeah," Fox grinned. "These two were in dreamland all night while Ethan and I indulged in coffee."

"You didn't sleep?" Theresa concernedly looked at him.

"No not really." He sadly admitted.

"I'm sorry." She frowned. "I know a lot of that has to do with me and what we're going to find out in the next few hours. You and Ethan must hate me."

"Are you kidding me?" Fox seriously looked at her. "Theresa, you just gave birth to two of the most beautiful babies in the world! What you did last night was incredible. If Ethan and I are gong to feel anything, it's going to be pure joy to know that even if we can't be the father to these babies we could be their uncle. Either one is just as sweet."

Theresa was about to say something but she was interrupted by a knock on the door.

"Come in!" She softly called.

"Hi guys!" Whitney poked her head in the room. "Are you up for some visitors?"

"Of course Whit, come on in!" Theresa smiled as Whitney, Chad, Paloma, Pilar, Sheridan Luis, Gwen, and Hank came into the room carrying lots of balloons and teddy bears.

"Whoa!" Fox laughed. "What did you guys do, bring the whole zoo?"

"Oh my gosh!" Pilar exclaimed. "Look at my beautiful grandchildren!"

"They are so cute!" Whitney squealed, rushing over to them.

"Look at their tiny fingers and toes!" Sheridan cried.

"My first niece and nephew!" Paloma chimed in.

"You two are going to get so spoiled!" Gwen giggled.

"Hey, do you women think maybe we can get a look too?" Hank smiled.

"Get used to it buddy!" Luis nudged him. "We're only going to get to see them from this distance."

They all began laughing as Ethan suddenly came into the room with Dr Russell.

"Hey guys!" He smiled, giving Luis a hug. "It's a party in here!"

"Yeah, we just came by to see how you five were doing." Hank gave him pat on the back.

"Well, I'm terribly sorry to break this happy occasion up, but I think I have something that you all may be interested in." Eve held up a white envelope.

"Dr Russell, is that what I think it is?" Theresa frowned, as she felt her heartbeat increase.

"Yes, it is Theresa." Eve confirmed. "I have the results of the DNA test."


	46. The Results

CH 45- The Results

Theresa took a deep breath as she prepared herself to hear the news that was going to change her life forever. The suspense was enough to make her pace out, but she forced herself to calm down.

"Dr. Russell before you tell us the results, can I please say something?"

"Of course Theresa." Eve warmly smiled at her.

Theresa carefully placed her daughter in her incubator and tearfully turned towards Ethan and Fox.

"First of all, I just want to tell you two how happy and thankful I am that you're here. I honestly don't think I could have gotten through these last few hours without you. Secondly, I can't tell you how sorry I am for hurting you guys like this. I know that both of you have told me that you're not upset, but I can't imagine what you must be going through because of me. I've put you guys through so much and all you've ever done for me is love me and my babies. The news that we're about to receive is going to change our lives forever. But I just want you to know that no matter what that paper says, you're both the twins' father. A father is a caring, compassionate, and wonderful man who will do anything for his children and you two have constantly shown that and more. So I just want to say thank you for everything that you have done. I love you both very much."

Theresa could barely hold back her tears as thy flowed down her cheeks.

"Ok everyone, I won't keep you in suspense any longer." Eve told them as she opened the envelope before their eyes. " The father of the twins is…"

She let her words trail as she slowly unfolded the paper.

"It's Fox." She smiled, looking up at him. "Fox is the twins' father."

A scattered array of congratulations sounded across the room as everyone cautiously offered Fox their best wishes trying their best to show Ethan their support as well.

"You ok buddy?" Hank patted Ethan on the shoulder.

"Yeah," Ethan smiled, trying to hide the feelings of hurt that filled his insides. "I know that the twins will be very happy with who their father is. I know I am."

Fox looked over at his half brother and gave him an appreciative smile.

Although Ethan looked alright, Theresa still couldn't help but feel incredibly sad for him. She quickly thought of an idea and smiled, knowing that it would make him extremely happy.

"Everyone, I have an announcement to make!" She smiled, picking up one of the babies. "Ethan, Paloma I want you two to be the god parents of our babies. You both are so important to me and I want you to be apart of their lives in the biggest way possible. So please say that you'll do this."

"Of course Theresa," Ethan smiled at her. "I'd be honored."

"Me too!" Paloma happily squealed. "I wouldn't have it any other way!"

"Thank goodness!" She grinned, looking down at the babies.

"Alright everyone, why don't we give Theresa and Fox some privacy to be alone" Eve suggested.

Everyone agreed and slowly began to leave the room wishing their final congratulations to the two of them. When they all left, Theresa looked over at Fox sitting next to her on the bed. She just realized that he hadn't said a word since Dr Russell announced the results.

"Fox?" She softly called.

For a while he just sat there, continuing to stare into his son's tiny face.

"He has my eyes." He finally whispered. "It's almost like looking into a mirror."

Theresa smiled as she suddenly saw a tear slowly trickle down the side of his face. She moved closer to him and tenderly wiped it away as he looked up at her.

"You really wanted them to be yours didn't you?" She asked him.

"I prayed that they would be." He confessed. "Is that bad?"

"No," she smiled. "Not at all."

"I don't know how to explain it Theresa because it's just all so weird." He carefully laid the baby back into his incubator and turned around to face her.

"What is?" she looked into his eyes. "What's so weird?"

"How I just knew." He started. "I don't know how, but deep inside I _knew_ all along that the twins were mine."

"I don't understand. How could you have known? I only found out a couple of weeks ago." Theresa confusingly asked.

"I don't know." He admitted. "But over the past couple of months I've felt this closeness to them. I remember some nights when we'd be alone together and I'd feel them kick inside you, I'd just get this feeling like they were more to me than just my future niece and nephew. Even these dreams that I used to have…"

"Dreams?"

"Yeah," He began. "I used to have these constant dreams of you, the twins and I. Only, they were older, like around the age of three. Sometimes we would just be at the park, or giving them a bubble bath. But when I'd wake up, I'd force myself to forget about it because my head kept telling me that it could never come true—that the babies were Ethan's and there was nothing I could do to change that."

"Oh my gosh!" Theresa happily exclaimed. "Fox, don't you see what those dreams were? They were premonitions of the future!"

"Premonitions?" He looked at her strangely. "You mean like what Charity sometimes has?"

"That's exactly what I mean!" She smiled. "Even under the circumstances that we were in, apart of you still held on to hope."

"Yeah," he quietly whispered staring deep into her eyes. "Do you know why I think that happened?"

"Why?"

"Because I never stopped loving you." He softly said, rubbing his finger across her cheek. "I tried, believe me I did. I even tried to convince myself that I was in love with your sister but it didn't work."

"Oh Fox," Theresa cried. "I never stopped loving you either. There were times when I needed you so badly. But I could never forgive myself for hurting you the way that I did."

"We share an incredible love Theresa, you know that right?" He smiled at her.

"I know." She grinned. "I mean, it's pretty obvious. Just look at the two beautiful babies we made!"

"Oh my goodness! Do you know what I just realized?" Fox asked her.

"What?" she looked at him bewildered.

"We don't even have names for them yet!"

"Oh my gosh, you're right!" Theresa giggled. "I can't believe we forgot!"

"Well, let's get on that right away!" He energetically grinned, placing the baby girl in Theresa's arms.

"Alright, well why don't we do it this way?" She said. "You can pick our son's name and I'll choose our daughter's."

"Sounds like a plan to me." He smiled. "I already have the perfect name for him."

"Oh really, what?"

"Alexander, Lucas, Crane." He proudly announced, remembering the names from his dream.

"Awww, I love that!" Theresa happily squealed. "Well, I've been playing around with this name for a while now. But I think I finally have our daughter's name settled."

"Ok, let's hear it."

"Hallie, Mekayla, Crane." Theresa smiled.

As soon as the familiar names flowed from her lips, Fox shockingly looked up at her.

"Did you just say, Hallie?"

"Uh, yeah" Theresa looked at him oddly. "What's the matter don't you like it?"

"No, it's not that. It's just—" Fox began, wondering how Theresa could have known the name of their daughter in his dream. "Never mind. You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

"Try me." She insisted.

"Well, Hallie was the name of our daughter in my dream." He told her. "But how could you have known that?"

"It's simple!" Theresa giggled. "It's fate!"

"Of course!" Fox laughed, remembering Theresa's favorite phrase.

"Oh Fox, I'm so happy!" She sighed. "Here I am with you and our two beautiful children! This moment couldn't get any more perfect!"

"Actually, you may be wrong about that because there's still one more thing I have to do." He smirked.

Theresa confusingly watched as he eased his way off the bed and came over to her side. Taking her hand in his, he carefully pulled a tiny box from his pocket and knelt down in front of her. Instant butterflies appeared in her tummy as she realized what he was going to do next.

"Theresa, I know that we've been through a lot these past couple of months and although it seemed impossible at one point, we managed to find our way back to each other—with a little bit of help." He glanced at the twins and smiled taking out the ring from the box and placing it on her finger. "Now, I know this ring has been jumping between two different ladies but I think I had it right the first time."

Fox watched as tears glistened in Theresa's eyes.

"Theresa Lopez-Fitzgerald, will you do me the honor of becoming my wife? Will you marry me?"

"Of course Fox!" She excitedly grinned. "Of course I will marry you!"

Theresa quickly pulled him up so she could kiss him. The feeling of his lips against hers made a whole bunch of memories come suddenly flowing back and even though it had been a while, it strangely felt like they had never once been apart.


	47. The Wedding

CH 46- The Wedding

**One year later**

"By the power invested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife." Father Lonogan announced to everyone. "Fox, you may kiss your bride."

Fox carefully lifted Theresa's veil and gave her the sweetest most romantic kiss ever.

Soon sounds of whistles and cheers were heard from the crowd as they all happily clapped for them.

Theresa looked over her shoulder at now one year old Hallie and Alexander, sitting on Ethan and Paloma's lap. They looked so cute as they excitedly clapped their chubby hands together.

Later on at the reception, everyone congratulated Fox and Theresa as they happily mingled with friends and family.

"Hey guys!" Luis and Sheridan came over to them. "Congratulations!"

"Thank you." Both Fox and Theresa said in unison. "We're so glad you guys could make it."

"Are you kidding?" Luis smiled. "And miss my little sister and my best buddy's wedding? Never!"

"Theresa, you look flawless!" Sheridan giggled. "I love that dress! And the twins look so adorable!"

They all looked over at little Alex in his tuxedo and Hallie in her pretty dress.

"Don't worry Sheridan, by the looks of it it won't be long before you get to dress your little buddle of joy it cute clothes too!" Theresa teased, patting Sheridan's tummy.

"Oh I know!" Sheridan happily squealed. "I can't wait until our little one is born!"

Luis sweetly kissed her as Gwen and Hank joined the group.

"Congratulations, you two!" Gwen hugged Theresa. "We're so happy for you!"

"Awww, thanks you guys!" Fox smiled.

"Just think Gwen, soon this will be you!" Theresa giggled. "I should probably get started on your bachelorette party!"

They all laughed as she gave Hank a mischievous look.

Just then the music stopped, and Chad announced the next song.

"Alright everyone, it's time to slow it down so the newlyweds can share their first dance." He announced.

Everyone cleared the dance floor as Fox took Theresa in his arms. The sweet words of "Spend My Life With You" rang in the air.

—Can I just see you every morning when I open my eyes,

Can I just feel your heart beating beside me every night

Can we just feel this way together till the end of all time

Can I just spend my life with you—

Fox smiled down at Theresa as she dreamily looked up at him.

"I can't believe we're finally here Fox," Theresa told him

"I know what you mean." He said. "This definitely wasn't an easy road."

"But we made it!" She smiled.

"Yes we did." He winked at her. "I love you so much."

"I love you too Fox."

Theresa pulled herself closer to him and rested her head on his shoulder as they swayed back and forth to sweet music. For the first time there was no doubt in her mind that everything was going to be just fine. They were finally together and there was a good chance that nothing would ever tear them apart again.

She closed her eyes and enjoyed the sacred moment of two people very much in love, dancing together for the first time as husband and wife.

THE END

Sorry to say, but that's it everyone! "No Easy Way Out" has come to an end. But we just want to say thank you for all your kind words and support in all of the reviews we received. Who knows, maybe there will be a sequel to this story! Hopefully there will be a future for THEORX in the real passions show…don't give up hope!

Alicia and Amanda


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